Turnabout Sparks
by AceFangirl
Summary: There's a new prosecutor, and her office is right next to Miles Edgeworth's. They run into each other one day, and sparks fly. Not in the best of ways, though. Rated "T" for murders and the like.
1. Chapter 1

After several minutes and several flights of stairs, Miles Edgeworth reached the 12th floor of the Prosecutor's Building. His office, which was where he was heading, was just down the hall. He had just finished a trial and needed to fill out the paperwork.

Miles saw his office door, 1202, and searched through his pockets for the key. Out of nowhere, he heard a scratching noise. He looked around the hallway but didn't see another soul. Curious now, his eyes searched the area trying to find the source of the noise. He heard the sound of a door being opened behind him and turned around. He didn't see a person, like he had expected, but a dog. As a matter of fact, a familiar looking dog.

He didn't ponder it for long though. The dog started growling at him, then sprinted towards him.

"Whoa!" Miles said as the dog started chasing him through the hallway. "Hold it! Down, heel, stop, something!"

The dog yapped at him, as if to say "No." _This is demented, what am I supposed to do?_ Miles wondered.

He turned the corner and ran into someone doing the same thing. He heard his forehead collide with someone else's and stepped back.

"Nngh… Hey!" he was suddenly dropkicked from behind, then pushed down to his hands and knees. He felt something sitting on him. Something furry. He looked up a saw a woman, who looked mortified.

"Missile, off!" she said. _Missile? Where have I heard that before?_

Missile hopped off of his victim and looked up at the woman. She looked down sternly at the dog.

"Bad boy, Missile. Now back to the office," she said, directing him to the open office.

Miles just watched as the dog hung his head and walked into the office. He looked up at the woman and realized he was still on the floor. Miles quickly stood up and smoothed out his jacket. Many questioned ran through his head, but he wasn't sure where to start.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry about that. Missile isn't supposed to be in the hallway, but it looks like he got out," the woman said.

Miles finally found his voice. "I'm fine. So you're a prosecutor?" It wasn't the question he had wanted to ask.

"Yes, I became a prosecutor here recently. I worked in another district before, however. That was my office Missile just walked into, you know."

Miles detected sarcasm in that last sentence, but he ignored it. "I thought dogs weren't supposed to be in the building at all."

"Oh, Missile is a police dog in training. So the Chief said it was okay as long as he stayed in my office."

"Police dog… by any chance, do you know a detective named Gumshoe?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact we're both training Missile."

"I've met Missile before, I thought his training was complete," _The more questions I asked, the more questions I get._

"The Police Department recently deemed his training insufficient. Apparently all he could ever find were hot dogs, of all things. Makes sense though, Detective Gumshoe only used hot dogs to train him."

_That sounds like the detective. _"So why is he here?"

"Detective Gumshoe's apartment has a strict "no pets" policy. He didn't know that when he first trained Missile, though."

Miles crossed his arms. "I see. Something is still bothering me, though. How did Missile get out of your office?"

"I must have left the door unlocked. He can open doors, you see."

"And attack people."

"He is a police dog. He must have gotten excited when he got out of the office. We're still working on discipline."

"I can see that."

"Hey, let's not forget you rammed into me earlier."

"Because your dog was chasing me."

"Yes, I heard you screaming. Did you really think those words would have any effect, even if they were the right commands? You were encouraging him by running. He must have thought you were playing."

"Well I wasn't…" he searched for her name, but realized he had no idea who this woman was.

"Maria Coldstare, I could tell you were trying to think of my name."

"Miles Edgeworth."

Maria Coldstare had long, brunette hair and half-rimmed glasses. She wore a black business suit and a white neckerchief. On it was her prosecutor's badge, which surprised Miles. He had never seen a prosecutor actually wear that badge. In her right hand was a book.

"I should close that door before Missile walks out again. Nice meeting you, Mr. Edgeworth," Maria turned and walked to her office.

"Huh," Miles said.

"Pardon me?" Maria said, turning her head to face Miles.

"Nothing, I just realized your office is right next to mine."

"Really? Interesting," with that, she stepped into her office and closed the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Miles stepped out of his office and started down the hall. He was going to the Police Department to return some case files from their records room. He heard a door close behind him and turned to see Ms. Coldstare lock the door to her office, reading a case file. She looked up and saw Miles.

"Oh, hello Mr. Edgeworth," she said.

"Hello Ms. Coldstare, where are you heading?"

Maria looked back down at her file. "The Police Station, they found a new lead to a case I'm working on."

"I happen to be heading there myself."

"Mm," was all she had to say, and started walking. Miles did too.

Maria was absorbed in her file, yet she seemed to know exactly where she was going. She even avoided walking into a bench, not once looking up. _She either has the layout of the building memorized, or she's just that aware of her surroundings. What's she reading anyway?_

Impulsively, Miles glanced at the file. Before he pulled himself away, he noticed a name. _Rivale? Have I heard that name before?_ He tried to recall, but was interrupted by Maria.

"You know, it's rude to read over people's shoulders."

"I know; I just happened to notice the name, 'Rivale.' It sounded familiar," Miles said.

"Is it?" Maria said, clearly annoyed.

"I don't think so, actually."

"Well then that was a waste of time."

"You're the one that started this conversation," Miles said. _My, isn't she fun to talk to._

"You're the one that was snooping in the first place," Maria said accusingly.

"I wasn't snooping."

"So you were staring at me, then? Because that's the only other thing you could've been looking at."

"How would you know? You haven't looked up from that file this entire time," Miles crossed his arms. The tension between them was growing.

Maria looked up from her file and glared at him. "How would you know that if you weren't looking at me?" Maria said slyly.

"I wasn't staring at you. Why on Earth would I do that?" He was getting very miffed, but he kept his temper in check.

Maria shrugged her shoulders. "Well if you weren't staring at me, the only thing you'd see looking in this direction is my file."

"I just noticed one word."

"It took you an awfully long time to read one word," Maria smirked.

"It sounded familiar; I looked at it more than once to see if it triggered something."

"So you admit you were reading over my shoulder."

"You seem adamant on proving I read over your shoulder."

"You seem pretty set on denying it."

"I don't like false accusations," Miles smirked and shrugged.

"I don't like liars."

"Neither do I. So I don't tell lies."

"So you're just a perfect, honest man, is that it?"

"I never said I was perfect."

"Sorry, I forgot you don't like false accusations. I'll make sure to never to call you perfect again."

"Very funny."

"Look, would you just let me get back to reading?"

"You could've stopped the conversation many times. You just want to get the last word in," Miles tapped his forehead.

"That's not it."

"Are you sure? You're still talking."

"You're really mature, you know that?" she walked away and headed to her car.

Miles blinked. He hadn't realized they were in the parking lot.

A few days later, Miles walked out of the Police Department. He had just finished a meeting and was going back to his office. As he approached his car, he heard a familiar voice.

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir!" Detective Gumshoe said, or rather shouted.

"Hello, Detective," Miles said.

"Are you heading back to the Prosecutor's Building, by any chance?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Well, I hate to ask a favor from you, sir, but do you know Prosecutor Coldstare?" Gumshoe asked sheepishly.

"Yes, her office is right next door to mine," Miles said, not pleasantly. They had yet to have a discussion that didn't end in an argument.

"Really? Well if you don't mind, could you give this to her?" Gumshoe said, pulling out an envelope.

"What is it?" Miles said, taking the envelope.

"If your office is next to hers, I'm sure you know about Missile."

Miles nodded.

"The people in charge of K-9 gave me a list of requirements and instructions for Missile, so I figured Ms. Coldstare should see it too. I'd give it to her myself, but they've got me doing a bunch of stuff here."

"Alright, I'll give this to her."

"Thank-you, sir! Just tell her it's from me!" Gumshoe saluted before running off.

Miles got in his car and drove back to the Prosecutor's Building. He found a parking space in the "A" section, grabbed the envelope, and got out of his car. It took him a few minutes to reach the 12th floor via the stairs, he refused to use the elevator, but he eventually reached Maria Coldstare's office. He knocked on the door and waited. No one answered the door. _She must be out._

He decided to stick it under the door, but found it didn't fit. He noticed for the first time how thick the envelope was. _Just how detailed are these instructions? _It didn't seem right to just leave it in the hallway, so he pulled a blank page from his organizer and wrote a message. He signed it and slipped it under the door. He took the envelope with him into his office.

Miles was taking care of some paperwork when he heard a knock on the door. Looking up from his desk, he said, "It's open."

The door opened and Maria walked in with an irritated look on her face. "Very funny, Me."

Miles raised his eyebrow, not sure what she was talking about. "If you're done talking to yourself, what do you need?"

"I wasn't talking to myself. I was referring to that note you left me."

"Oh, here," Miles picked up the envelope from his desk. _What does this have to do the whole "Me" thing?_

Maria approached Miles and took the envelope. "Did you really have to sign that note like that? Signing it "Me" is as confusing as it is immature."

"I didn't sign that note, "Me." I used my initials, "M"… huh," Miles Edgeworth said, realizing what had happened. "I never noticed that before."

Maria looked away, her left hand grabbing her right shoulder. "Oh."

Miles smirked. "I think this clears everything up. Now if you don't mind, I have things I need to get done."

"Right." Maria said. She walked out of the office and closed the door.

Miles turned his attention back to what was on his desk, still smirking.


	3. Chapter 3

"Court is now in session for the trial of Mark Ontha," the judge said.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth said.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," said veteran Defense Attorney Marvin Grossberg.

"Very well. Mr. Edgeworth, your opening statement?" the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor. A woman named Hailey Wethers was shot in the parking lot of her apartment complex at 3:30 pm. The prosecution believes the shooter was the defendant and has evidence supporting this theory, naturally," Miles said.

"I see. You may call your first witness," the judge said.

"The prosecution calls the detective in charge of the investigation to the stand."

Detective Gumshoe was soon in the courtroom, behind the witness stand.

"Witness, state your name and occupation," Miles said to him.

"Homicide Detective Dick Gumshoe of Criminal Affairs, sir," the detective stated.

"Detective Gumshoe, please testify for the court the details of the crime."

"Yes sir."

Testimony

_The crime occurred at 3:30 in the afternoon in a parking lot._

_The victim had just come back from errands and parked her car on the third level._

_She was shot in the heart and died instantly._

_The murder weapon was a handgun owned by the defendant. _

"Hmm, where is this handgun now?" said the judge.

"Right here, Your Honor," Gumshoe said.

"The court accepts this into evidence. Mr. Grossberg, your cross-examination?"

"Yes, You Honor," Mr. Grossberg said.

Cross-Examination

_The crime occurred around 3 o'clock in the afternoon in a parking lot._

_The victim had just come back from errands and parked her car on the third level._

"Hold it!" said Grossberg. "Is the third level where the murder happened?"

"You got it, pal. She had just left her car when she was killed."

"How was she killed, exactly?"

_She was shot in the heart and died instantly._

"Hold it!" said Grossberg. "Instantly, you say?"

"Yeah, it should be in the autopsy report. The shock made her die much faster."

_The murder weapon was a handgun owned by the defendant. _

"Hold it!" Grossberg said. "Was this the reason he was arrested?"

"It was one of the reasons, yes."

"But someone could have stolen the gun."

"Objection!" Miles said. "Do you have evidence to support this claim?"

Grossberg leaned forward slightly with a hand on his back. "Not at the moment, no."

"Precisely. Besides, there is other evidence suggesting that Mr. Ontha is the culprit."

"Is that so? Perhaps Detective Gumshoe could testify about that?" the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Gumshoe said.

Testimony

_The defendant was the owner of the murder weapon, of that we're positive._

_Mark Ontha also lived in the same apartment building as the victim._

_A witness claims he saw the defendant go into the parking lot around the time of the murder._

_Also, we searched the defendant's apartment with Luminol and found blood traces on his jacket._

The detective presented a green jacket to the courtroom.

"I don't see any blood," the judge said.

"The jacket was washed, but you can see where the blood with Luminol."

"I see, the court accepts this jacket into evidence. Mr. Grossberg you may begin your cross-examination," the judge said.

Cross-Examination

_The defendant was the owner of the murder weapon, of that we're positive._

"Hold it!" said the veteran attorney. "What makes you so sure that man's gun is the murder weapon?"

"The ballistic markings on the bullet matched the gun, so we know that bullet came from the gun."

_Mark Ontha also lived in the same apartment building as the victim._

"Hold it!" Grossberg said. "That is irrelevant! Many people live in that building, and many people could have been in that parking lot."

"Objection!" Miles Edgeworth said. "That may be, but it is a fact that the defendant was in the parking lot!"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah pal," said Gumshoe.

_A witness claims he saw the defendant go into the parking lot around the time of the murder._

_Also, we searched the defendant's apartment with Luminol and found blood traces on his jacket._

"Hold it!" said Grossberg. "How much blood?"

"Ugh, a lot of blood, pal. All over the hem, in fact. We couldn't get a DNA test done, but we assume it was from the blood splatter when the victim was shot," Gumshoe said.

"Your Honor, I'd like that last statement added to the testimony," Grossberg said.

"Very well. Witness, please amend your testimony with your last statement," the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor."

_There was blood on the hem of the jacket, probably from the victim's blood spray when she was shot._

"Objection!" Grossberg said. "According to the autopsy report, the victim was shot from a distance, correct?"

"Yes," said Gumshoe.

"Wouldn't you have to be close to the victim at the time of the shooting for blood to get onto your jacket?" Grossberg said, pointing his finger at the detective.

"Objection!" Miles Edgeworth said, pounding his desk. "The blood could have gotten on the jacket after the victim was shot!"

"Objection!" Grossberg countered. "The blood could have been from somewhere completely different!"

"Objection! Where else could this much blood come from? It would take more than a paper cut for this much blood to spill!"

"Objection! Actually, my client did injure himself recently. He took a nasty fall and scraped himself quite badly. He went to the hospital to get his injuries treated, but got blood all over his jacket."

"His jacket?" Miles said, taken aback. He could feel the dark circles around his eyes.

"Exactly. Since we can't determine that blood is the victims, the defense claims that this bloodstained jacket has no relevance to this case!"

"Hmm, this does make the evidence look questionable. Does the prosecution have a rebuttal?" said the judge.

"The prosecution stands by its claim that the defendant is the culprit. In order to prove this, the prosecution would like to call its next witness," Miles said.

"Alright, you may call your next witness. Detective Gumshoe, you are relieved from the stand."

Detective Gumshoe left the courtroom the prosecution called another witness.

An elderly man wearing gray overall the same color as his hair appeared on the stand. He had a small goatee and above it was a frown.

"Name and occupation," Miles said.

"Arnold Coot, janitor at the Cinder Apartment block. Can we get this over with? It's hard to earn a pension when you're not at work!" Mr. Coot said, clearly peeved.

"Very well," Miles said, brushing off the comment. "Mr. Coot, please testify for the court what you witnessed the day of the murder."

Testimony

_That day I was cleaning around the lobby._

_As I was doing so, I saw that blonde kid walk in._

_He had a duffel bag on him, and something was poking out._

_I didn't see it too clearly, but I'm sure it was a weapon!_

_It was definitely made of metal, and kind of stick-like. Like a gun._

"I see. You say he had a gun?" the judge inquired.

"Isn't that what I just said? Are we done now?" Mr. Coot said, his fingers tapping against the witness stand.

"No, Mr. Coot. The defense has the right to cross-examine your testimony. Mr. Grossberg, you may proceed."

"You mean we have to go through all that again? What a waste of time!" Mr. Coot said.

Cross-Examination

_That day I was cleaning around the lobby._

_As I was doing so, I saw that blonde kid walk in._

"Hold it!" Grossberg said. "By 'blonde kid' you mean the defendant, yes?"

"He's blonde, isn't he? Who else would I be talking about?" Mr. Coot replied curtly.

"Was there anything else you noticed about him?"

_He had a duffel bag on him, and something was poking out._

_I didn't see it too clearly, but I'm sure it was a weapon!_

"Hold it!" Grossberg said. "What makes you so sure a weapon was in that bag?"

"It looked like a weapon!"

_It was definitely made of metal, and kind of stick-like. Like a gun._

"Hold it!" Grossberg said. "A metallic stick? A gun doesn't look like a stick!"

"Objection!" Miles intervened. "Maybe not the entire gun, but what if just the barrel was sticking out?"

"Exactly!" Mr. Coot added.

Grossberg pressed further. "Hmm, could you be more specific about what it looked like?"

"I didn't see it perfectly, but I can tell you it was metal stick. A big old metal stick, like a gun barrel!"

"Precisely how big?"

"The part I saw sticking out? This big!" Mr. Coot put his hands about a foot apart.

"I'd like that statement added to the testimony!" Grossberg said.

Miles started to feel uneasy; he knew exactly what the defense attorney was going to do. He tried to think of a counterattack while the trial continued.

_The barrel was at least a foot! _

"Objection!" said Grossberg. "The murder weapon was a small gun! The barrel couldn't be more that 8 inches!"

The gallery went into an uproar, and the judge had to silence them. "Order! Order! Mr. Grossberg, how do you explain this?"

"Perhaps he didn't see a gun barrel at all!"

"Objection!" Miles said. "The witness admitted that he didn't see what was in the bag very well, he could easily be mistaken!"

"Objection!" Grossberg said. "He also clearly stated whatever he saw was at least a foot long! What he saw was obviously not the murder weapon!"

"Objection!" Miles said. "That doesn't mean the gun wasn't in the bag! The murder weapon is small, ergo you could put the handgun in a duffel bag and still have room to put something else in!"

"Well, yes I suppose you could," Grossberg mumbled.

Miles continued. "Let's not forget who was holding the bag. The witness did see the defendant enter the parking lot at the time of the murder. The prosecution requests the witness testify again!"

Mr. Coot grumbled, "Oh, so now my testimony's worth something? Just great."

Testimony

_I know there a gun in that bag and I know it was the defendant who was carrying it!_

_You see that kid in the defendant's chair? Well the guy I saw looked like that!_

_And he went into the parking lot at the time of the murder._

"You can calm down now, witness," the judge said to the frothing janitor.

"I can't help it! You're all talking like I'm not here and on top of that saying I'm wrong. Then you go and ask to say stuff again like you just remembered I was here this whole time!"

"Mr. Grossberg, your cross-examination," the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Grossberg sighed, his hand on his back again.

Cross-Examination

_I know there was a gun in that bag and I know it was the defendant who was carrying it!_

_You see that kid in the defendant's chair? Well the guy I saw looked like that!_

"Hold it!" Grossberg said. "Could you be more specific? What was this person wearing?"

"He had a grey shirt on, for starters. He might have had a jacket around his waist."

"Might?"

"Well the duffel bag was in the way!" Mr. Coot said defensively.

_And he went into the parking lot at the time of the murder._

"Hold it!" said Grossberg. "What time exactly?"

"It was 3:30 in the afternoon, of course!"

"Perhaps you could amend this detail to your testimony?" the judge said.

_He went into the parking lot at 3:30_

"Objection!" said Grossberg. "The murder happened at 3:30!"

"You figure that out yourself?" said Mr. Coot.

"If my client had just entered the parking lot at the time, how could he be killing Ms. Wethers on the third floor?"

"Objection!" Miles said. "Obviously the murder simply occurred a couple minutes after 3:30! The time of death is not exact! The defendant took an elevator to the third floor and then shot the victim!"

"Objection!" Grossberg said. "Look at the floor plans of the third floor of the parking lot. Ms. Wethers' car was parked on the side opposite from the elevator in a rather large parking lot. Assuming they take the elevator, it would still take a person about 15 minutes to get from the lobby to the victim's car!"

"Objection!" Miles said. "What if they shot from across the parking lot? After all, the victim was shot from a distance!"

"Objection!" Grossberg said. "There is a large partition in the middle of the parking lot! Unless the killer fired a bullet through two feet of solid concrete it would be impossible to kill the victim without going around!"

Miles recoiled, the dark circles around his eyes coming back. _Was I wrong? No, I know he did it. I'm missing something, but what?_

The sound of the judge's gavel interrupted Miles' thoughts. "It seems we've reached impasse. It would be premature to announce a verdict at this point. Unless either the prosecution or the defense has anything else to say, the trial will be extended for another day. Are there any objections?"

Both attorneys were silent.

"Very well. This court is adjourned."

**_Hmm, where will this lead? Hope you this was good, it was my time writing for a trial. Tell me what you think. I always wondered what it would be like to have a trial with Grossberg as the defense. Did anyone notice the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney reference? Think Mia Fey and The First Turnabout. _**


	4. Chapter 4

**_I meant to post this sooner, but I kept thinking I already had. Luckily I noticed before posting Chapter Five!_**

"It was an accident."

"What are you talking about? That doesn't happen accidentally."

"It's not like you're fatally injured. When did you get so soft, Edgeworth?"

"I am not soft."

"Well you're not tough."

A group of prosecutors in the lobby sighed after Prosecutors Edgeworth and Coldstare (who had Missile on a leash) walked by. This had been happening for a few weeks now. If everyone was lucky, they would come to work at different times. Or they just wouldn't talk to each other. If one of them said something though, it quickly escalated into an argument that would last until they reached the 12th floor. Most people in the building had heard their posturing and bickering at least once. Not because they raised their voices, they just didn't stop using them.

"Oh, but you're as hard as rock?" Miles said, glaring at his foe.

"My skin might be a bit thicker," Maria replied curtly as they walked up the stairs.

"Excuse me, but who's the one that gushes over Missile when she thinks no one's looking?" Miles gestured to the little police dog.

"I do not gush."

They walked and continued their level-voiced yet heated argument until they were standing between the doors of their offices. Then they stood and argued. They were feeling particularly resentful today.

Detective Gumshoe saw the two of them and his shoulders sagged. "Not again," he moaned to himself, for he had been in this position before. Missile yapped and wagged his tail when he saw Gumshoe.

"Hey, hey. What are you two- ahem- debating?"

The prosecutors opened their mouths to speak; then closed them.

"Well Coldstare, answer the man," Miles said nonchalantly, gesturing to Gumshoe.

"You've forgotten, haven't you," Maria said. Her arms were crossed and she was tapping a book against her left arm.

"No, but you have."

"You're avoiding the question," Maria was starting to raise her voice.

"So are you," Miles said accusingly.

"Don't change the topic."

"Would you like me to remind what the topic is, or do you remember that much?"

"I know what the question was!"

"Then answer it."

Gumshoe sighed. "You've both forgotten, haven't you?"

"Why are you here anyway, Detective?" Miles snapped.

"I have something for both of you, actually," Gumshoe said, carefully.

"Well, what is it?" Maria said.

"Case files, I can't believe you're both prosecuting murder cases," Gumshoe handed each of them a file. "Everything should be in there. Evidence, victim data, the suspect data, you name it."

"Good work Detective, I'll check out the crime scene again after I read through reading this," Miles said.

"Yes, sir," Gumshoe said. He saluted at the prosecutors before patting Missile on the head and walking away.

Maria immediately started reading her file. She unlocked her office door and walked Missile inside.

_What did start that argument? _Miles shook off the thought and entered his office. He opened the file and read the contents at his desk. He read through the summary of the autopsy report, there was nothing new there. Next he flipped through the evidence list and made sure his organizer was up to date. He skimmed through everything and eventually came across the suspect data.

A couple pages held information on Mark Ontha; his physically description, family, etc. Attached with a paperclip was a mug shot of the suspect. Miles stared at the picture. _How could this man be in practically two places at once? _His gaze bore into the photo, searching for an answer. He didn't find it, but he started to feel like something was wrong with the picture. He flipped to the profiles in his organizer and found a small picture of Mark Ontha. Miles raised an eyebrow when he compared the photos. They didn't match.

"Ergh, Gumshoe," Miles mumbled as he collected his file and marched out of his office. He knew where the suspect photo was. He knocked on Maria's door and waited. Curiously, nobody answered. _But she walked in not ten minutes ago._ He turned the doorknob and found it was still unlocked. He opened the door and stepped in. He closed the door behind him and turned around.

He wasn't sure what to make of the scene in front of him. Maria was reading her files while spinning in circles around her office.

"Coldstare?" Miles said.

"A ballet, on the grove. Still growing young all alone. A ragdoll, a best friend, the voice of Mary Costa," Maria sang, completely oblivious to Miles.

"Where is the wonder, where's the awe? Where's dear Alice knocking on the door? Where's the trapdoor that takes me there? Where the real is shattered by a mad March hare?"

_Where is her mind right now? _"Ms. Coldstare? Ms. Coldstare. Coldstare!" He got louder with every attempt. She still didn't notice. He did manage to attract the attention of Missile, who had been asleep. He looked at Miles, then went back to sleep.

She eventually stopped singing, but continued to dance while reading. _Must be an instrumental solo. Now's my chance, I guess._

"COLDSTARE!" he shouted.

"Ai!" Maria shrieked, and ear buds fell out of her ears. She clutched her file to her chest. "What are you doing?"

"I was about to ask you that question," Miles said.

"I-I- um- don't tell anyone, please," Maria said, her eyes pleading.

"I wouldn't even know what to say."

Maria's face turned red. "Why are you here anyway?" she snapped.

Miles took the mug shot off his suspect data. "I believe this is yours."

"Why do you have a picture of him?" Maria asked. She flipped through her and found her suspect data. "This isn't right."

"I believe Detective Gumshoe mistakenly swapped the photos."

Maria brought out a photo and sure enough, it was Mark Ontha. The prosecutors exchanged photos.

"They do look quite similar," Miles commented.

"I suppose they do. What's your case anyway?" Maria said as she replaced the photo.

"A murder that took place two days ago."

Maria's head perked up. "That's the same as my case."

"Really?" Miles said. _Well, this is interesting._ "For curiosity's sake, who is your suspect?"

"His name is Rocky Roade."

"Rocky?" Miles asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Let me check first," he mumbled and looked through the suspect data again.

"Eureka," he whispered.

"What?"

"Mark Ontha has a younger brother named Rocky."

"Are you suggesting that our suspects are related?"

"It's a possibility; they are quite similar in appearance."

"Hmm," Maria said, pondering.

_Could this be what I'm missing? Is it possible these cases… connected? This might be worth investigating. _Miles suppressed a groan. _Of all the other prosecutors, it had to be her. The truth comes first. What am I so reluctant about? I just have to be polite. _

"Two murders on the same day, and it's possible the suspects are related. Ms. Coldstare, do you think these cases are connected somehow?"

"Connected?" Maria spoke slowly. "I'll admit; there are a few gaps in my case. I suppose it would be a premature to discredit the theory."

"My thoughts exactly. I need to find the truth to this case; do you think you could brief me on your case?"

Maria considered it for a moment. "Alright, you can read this file once I've finished it. I'll even let you see the crime scene. Under my supervision, naturally."

Being the gentleman he was, Miles bowed slightly. "Thank-you, Ms. Coldstare."

"On one condition," Maria added.

"What would that be?"

"Afterwards, I get to see your crime scene."

"I see no problem with that."

"Excellent, let's go. Missile should be asleep for a while, so now's a perfect time."

"I thought you wanted to finish reading?"

"I am going to finish. Reading and walking is pretty basic, you know. At least for me," she smirked.

Maria walked to the door with her head held high.

"Wait, do you hear something?" Miles inquired, looking around the room.

Blushing, Maria quickly pulled her MP3 player out of her pocket and turned it off. She grabbed her purse and shoved it and the ear buds inside.

Miles suppressed a smirk. He hadn't heard a thing.

**_That was a real song Maria was listening too. It's called, "I Want My Tears Back" by Nightwish. I love the band and would personally recommend it. Anyway, please review!_**


	5. Chapter 5

Deciding a cab would suit their purposes better; Miles and Maria hailed a taxi and told the driver to take them to the Lordly Tailor. Maria put the separator in place so the driver wouldn't hear anything confidential and explained that the Lordly Tailor was the scene of the crime.

Miles sat in the back seat next Maria, waiting for her to finish reading her file. He didn't have to wait long. Within five minutes, Maria finished reading her file cover to cover and traded with Miles.

"That was fast," Miles commented.

"Well the trial is already in progress, so naturally I already knew most of what was in there. I just wanted to reread it in case there were any updates," Maria said, already starting on Miles' file.

Miles decided to first look through the victim data. Flipping through, he gathered that a man had been murdered at the Lordly Tailor by being hit on the head with a blunt object. Specifically, he had been murdered in the employee break room at 2:45. The victim, Taylor Maide, had been an assistant manager at the department store.

Miles read the papers in more detail, searching for a specific bit of information. After several fruitless attempts to find the information himself, he asked Maria, "What was the murder weapon?"

"No murder weapon has been found, yet," Maria said.

"So the killer took it with them?"

"That's what we think. Forensics practically drowned the area in Luminol and came up empty handed."

"I imagine that makes thing difficult."

"You seem to be having a tough time yourself. According to this your own witness gave the defendant an alibi."

"It's not rock solid exactly," Miles said, trying to defend himself. "I'm still confident that the defendant is guilty."

"I see," Maria said, and then went back to reading.

A few minutes went by and the cab driver parked outside a luxurious department store. The prosecutors got out and Miles paid the driver.

"Have fun taking your lady shopping," the cab driver grunted.

Miles was taken aback. "What?"

"I'm not his girlfriend," Maria said, glaring at the driver.

"Whatever," he said and drove away.

"Well that was rude. I can't stand people who jump to conclusions like that," Maria said.

"Me neither," Miles said, crossing his arms and tapping a finger. He couldn't help but feel awkward all of a sudden.

"Well, allow me to take you to the crime scene."

"Lead the way."

Maria did just that and brought Miles to an employee area surrounded by police tape. Officers were scattered around searching for leads. In the middle of the room white tape outlined where the body had been. There was a blood stain near where the head was outlined.

"Mr. Edgeworth?"

Miles turned around and saw a woman with dark hair and lab coat. "Hello Detective Skye."

Ema Skye smiled and munched on a few Snackoos. "What are you doing here?"

"You know each other?" Maria said.

"Her older sister used to be Chief Prosecutor," Miles explained.

"Seriously though, what are you doing here? Ms. Coldstare's already the prosecutor," Ema said between bites.

"Ms. Coldstare and I are looking into a possible relation between our cases."

"That reminds me," Maria said. "Detective Skye, I need you to do a background check on the defendant. Specifically his heritage, perhaps some DNA tests would be useful?"

Ema's eyes shined when she heard "DNA tests." "Alright, I'll get straight to it Ms. Coldstare."

True to her word, Ema left the crime scene with her head held high. _I think that just made her day._

Miles kneeled to examine the bloodstain. "So this is where it happened?"

"Yes, the victim was hit on the back of the head while on break."

"So is Mr. Roade an employee here too?"

"No, actually he works for a recreation center."

"What makes him a suspect then?"

"Even though he's not an employee, his fingerprints were on the doorknob. Also, there were reports of a suspicious man with a duffel bag and he was caught on camera going into the employee area. Well, the face is obscured but everything else matched."

"Did you say a duffel bag?"

"Yes."

Miles smirked and stood up. "Ms. Coldstare, our cases are definitely connected."

Maria flipped through the case file in her hands, which actually belonged to Miles. Realization spread across her face. "That witness."

"I think you see where I'm getting at. The apartment block where Hailey Wethers was murdered happens to be about a forty minute drive from here."

"And the murders were forty-five minutes apart," Maria said, a small, knowing smile on her face.

"Precisely. Also, our defendants are remarkably similar in appearance. A person could easily mistake them for one another."

Maria adopted a thoughtful expression. "But why? It can't just be a coincidence; it's a bit too convenient."

"Indeed, there's obviously something that links these crimes together. I take it the man who was recorded going to the employee area had a key card?"

"Yes, we suspected another employee at first. But everyone working that day had an alibi. And there are no records of employees off duty coming in via the staff entrance or the visitor entrance."

"So if the murderer wasn't a staff member, how did they get a key card?"

"It's possible the culprit stole a card, or borrowed it from an accomplice."

"I suppose that's plausible. Are there any possible motives for an accomplice?"

"I suppose there were a few other people after the victim's job. He was appointed assistant manager quite recently."

"When you say he was an assistant manager, do you mean assistant manager of the department store, or of a particular section?"

"He was assistant manager of the Treasures of Kurain exhibit," Maria said.

_Kurain? Feys really are trouble magnets. _"Alright, where would I find the person that hired him?"

"The director would either be in her office or the main exhibition hall, probably the latter. Come with me," Maria said, leading Miles out the door.

They walked through lavishly decorated walkways with shops on either side of them. Large groups of people came in and out of shops or bustled around sightseeing. Miles was getting irritated by the mobs of people distracting themselves from what was right in front of them. He was finding it difficult to watch where he was going when he was busy watching where everyone else was going for them. Luckily, Maria seemed to know exactly where they were heading.

When they entered the main exhibition hall, Miles was relieved to find the crowd much less chaotic. Displayed around the hall were ancient looking artifacts from around the world. _It is impressive that a department store would have access to all of this._

"There's the director," Maria said, pointing to a blonde woman with a black sleeveless shirt and gray pants talking to a family.

In a few moments Miles recognized her as Adrian Andrews. Bad memories of how he had once pressed her to a breaking point surfaced. He tensed up. _Please don't recognize me._

Adrian finished talking to the family and they walked away. She turned her head and saw Miles and Maria approach her. "Ms. Coldstare, how goes the investigation?"

"Just fine, Ms. Andrews. I was hoping to ask you a few questions though," Maria said.

"Not a problem at all. Wait a minute," she noticed Miles, who had stayed partially behind Maria. "Mr. Edgeworth?"

"A lot of women seem to know you, Edgeworth," Maria said with a flicker of a smirk. Miles got the reference and tried not feel embarrassed.

"Oh I was involved with one of Mr. Edgeworth's cases. Actually, I should apologize for making things so difficult," Adriain said, her smile never faltering.

"Forget about it," Miles said, hoping he didn't sound too brusque about it.

Maria obviously had a few questions on her mind, but she didn't ask them. "Perhaps we should talk somewhere less populated."

"Of course. The Treasures of Kurain is getting quite popular, I'm proud to admit. My office should do, right this way," Adrian said and started walking.

They were soon standing in Adrian's office, a well organized and modernly furnished room. Adrian sat behind her desk and offered chairs across her desk. Once everyone was seated, Adrian put her elbows on her desk and asked the prosecutors what they wanted to know.

"Mr. Maide was promoted to assistant manager recently, correct?" Miles asked.

"Yes, I gave him the promotion not two weeks ago. It's a shame what happened to him. He was a good man and an able employee."

"There were other candidates for the position, though. Is that true?" Maria said.

Adrian nodded her head. "A few others. Oh, you don't suspect another staff member do you?" she said nervously.

"We're just pursuing all our leads," Maria said.

"There were four other people I considered promoting. Nate Imporint, Sinbad Ideah, Sarah Flawes, and one more," Adrian fiddled a pen. "Now I remember!"

"Who else?" Miles asked.

"Mark Ontha."

**_Which brings us to the end of Chapter Five. I'll have the next chapter ready soon, but until then please review! By the way, do I ever write OOC? Just curious._**


	6. Chapter 6

"Mark Ontha?" Miles said, unable to hide his shock.

Maria flipped through the case file. "Lordly Tailor, how did I miss that?"

"Did something happen to Mr. Ontha?" Adrian said, started to get worried again.

"Mr. Ontha is involved with a case I'm working on," Miles said. He didn't want to worry the director any further, or reveal any details about an investigation still in progress.

"He's not dead, is he?" Adrian twisted a little booklet like it was a towel.

_Even though I know that's paperback, it's still an impressive feat of strength. _"No, Mr. Ontha is very much alive. Could you tell us more about him?"

"Mr. Ontha is a great employee. He's never late, is very through with everything he does, quite the perfectionist. The only reason I didn't make him assistant manager was because I needed a more easy-going person to be in charge. Mark doesn't handle mistakes very well, you see. His own or other people's."

"What do you mean by, 'he doesn't handle mistakes well,' Ms. Andrews?"

"Frustration is his usual reaction. He'll either redo something until he thinks it is good enough or just… vent."

"I see. Can you think of anything else to tell us?"

"I'm afraid I don't know everyone on the staff that well. Plus Mark was never really one to socialize with his co-workers. Another reason I didn't promote him, actually."

"Thank-you for your time, Ms. Andrews," Miles stood up and offered his hand.

Adrian shook it and stood as well. Then she shook Maria's hand. "It was no trouble at all. I hope I've been of some assistance."

The two prosecutors left Adrian's office and walked down a staff hallway.

"So what should we do now?" Miles said.

"If you're done here, I believe you promised to take me to your crime scene," Maria said.

"Of course, I'm a man of my word." _Maybe we'll finally get some answers as opposed to more questions._

They left the Lordly Tailor and got into another cab. About forty minutes later, the cab stopped outside the Cinder Apartment block. Once the driver was paid, Miles and Maria entered the parking lot. They took the stairs to the third level and arrived at the scene of Hailey Wethers' murder.

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir! And Ms. Coldstare?" Detective Gumshoe said from behind the prosecutors.

Miles turned around and explained the connected cases situation.

"Wow, complicated stuff. I can't believe your cases are linked like that," Gumshoe said.

"Now that that's out of the way, any updates on the investigation?"

"We tested how long it would take someone from the lobby to get here. Mr. Grossberg was right; even if you ran it still wouldn't match with the autopsy report. But I guess if that janitor was wrong it doesn't mean anything."

"Well it does rule out the possibility that Mr. Roade killed the victim, assuming it truly was him."

"Good point. Oh, we also found something hidden under a car, sir."

"What would that be?"

Gumshoe went over to a police car and came back with a metal baseball bat. "This, sir."

"That's an odd find, any relevance?"

"Well it might be that thing the witness saw sticking out of the duffel bag. It matches the description, I guess."

"Sticking out of a duffel bag…" Maria said. "That's it! Permittez-moi de voir que!" she suddenly exclaimed and snatched the bat out of Gumshoe's hands.

To say at the least, Gumshoe was surprised. "What?"

Miles just looked at her. "Parlez-vous français?"

Maria didn't stop examining the bat. "I traveled around Europe for a while. I also speak Borginian, Italian, German, and a little Swedish. I'm most fluent in French, though. I spill into it when I'm excited from time to time."

"And why are you excited?" Gumshoe said, slowly.

Miles smirked, "Because Taylor Maide was killed with an unidentified blunt object."

"Exactly. Can forensics spare some Luminol?" Maria said.

"Sure, Ms. Coldstare. Hey pal! We need you to do a Luminol test!" Gumshoe said to Ms. Coldstare and then to a forensic officer.

A man came over with a spray bottle in his hand and special glasses over his eyes. Wearing gloves, he sprayed Luminol testing fluid on the baseball bat. After a minute, he said, "I got something."

He took off the glasses and Maria put them on. "That's blood, alright," she said and handed back the glasses.

"Nice job, pal. Why don't you see if you can figure out whose blood it is?" Gumshoe said.

"Yes, sir. I'll do some fingerprinting too while I'm at it," the forensics office said and left with the bat.

"Hold it!" Maria said. She flipped through her file and pulled out some of the data. Namely the DNA sample, blood type, and fingerprints for the victim and the suspect. "See if anything you find matches with this."

"You got it."

The forensic office left and Miles said, "I'd say investigating here is working quite well for you."

"Yeah, mind if I look around some more?" Maria said.

Miles shrugged, "Sure, just don't break anything."

"Why would I do that?"

"I'm not saying you'd do it on purpose."

"I don't break things accidentally."

"Really? Considering all the times you walk while reading it must happen occasionally."

"I've told you before; I can handle two things at once. Or were you too busy walking to listen?"

Gumshoe sighed.

Miles raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing," the detective said, looking away.

Maria started moving around the crime scene, investigating everything that caught her eye.

"Uh, sir?" Gumshoe said.

"Yes, Detective?" Miles said.

"What exactly did Ms. Coldstare say earlier?"

"What? Oh, the French. She said, 'Let me see that.'"

"Phew, for a second there I was worried it was something insulting."

"Heh, don't worry about it. Anything else to report?"

Gumshoe hunched his shoulders and scratched the back of his neck. "To be honest, sir, we're kind of in a rut. The defendant's fingerprints are on the gun, but it's his gun so that's useless. The blood on the jacket was washed, so we can't verify whether it's the victim's or the defendant's like the defense claimed. And if the witness saw an entirely different person, then nobody saw the defendant come into the parking lot. Not even security cameras."

"That does make it difficult, I suppose," Miles said, tapping his finger against his crossed arms.

"Does the defendant's apartment show any signs of being broken into?" Maria asked out of nowhere.

"Why do you ask?" Miles said.

"I take it the defendant kept his gun in his apartment, right? If no one else got into the apartment, no one else could steal the gun and use it to frame him."

"Good point," Miles said. _Why didn't I think of that? _"Detective, I believe your investigation just got out of its rut."

"Right, I'll get straight to it," the detective saluted and left the scene.

"Clever," Miles said to Maria.

Maria shrugged. "That's what the defense would say in court. Unless you preempt them, that is."

"That makes sense."

"I like to think of it as proving innocence while proving guilt. If you know what the defense is going to say ahead of time, you can prepare a rebuttal during your investigation."

"Hard to get surprised with a method like that."

"That's the idea." Maria looked down at the white tape outlining a body. "The victim was shot in the heart, right?"

"Yes," Miles said. "Only one bullet was fired, from a distance."

"Really?"

"Mark Ontha has been known to go to a shooting range in his spare time. Apparently he has very good aim."

"Interesting," Maria said. "Is there any kind of motive?"

"We're not sure. The only connection we can find is that they live in the same building."

"I see," she said, and opened her file.

Miles took that as a sign that she wasn't going to say anything else and decided to see how Gumshoe's investigation was going.

He walked out of the parking lot and into the lobby. Miles checked his information and confirmed that Mark Ontha's apartment was on the 8th floor. He climbed several staircases and until he reached the right floor. Mark Ontha's apartment was conveniently close to the stairs, so all Miles had to do was enter the hallway to see Detective Gumshoe and couple other officers searching around.

Gumshoe noticed Miles and saluted.

"Find anything, Detective?" Miles said.

"The lock shows no signed of being picked sir. All the windows are locked from the inside, none of them broken of course. And the place is spotless. No one without a key got in there, sir," Gumshoe said, happy to share some good news.

"Good work, Detective. I think I'll have a look around myself."

"Yes, sir!"

Miles stepped into the apartment and found that Gumshoe wasn't lying when he said the place was spotless. He couldn't see a single speck of dirt anywhere. Everything was neatly arranged, from the furniture to the wall decorations. Miles walked around, observing anything that might have been a clue. He wandered into the bedroom and noticed a dresser. On top was an ornamental box. Curious, Miles walked over to the dresser and opened the box. He was surprised to find women's jewelry inside. _I guess every man has their thing. _

There were mostly necklaces in the box, which Miles rummaged through. Everything from gold chains, to pearls, to emeralds, to amethyst was in there. It was all quite expertly crafted, Miles had to admit. He noticed a ruby set into a mahogany disk the size of a half-dollar coin attached to a leather cord. It seemed out of place among such finery, so he pulled it out to examine it.

It was an interesting necklace, but not particularly valuable. Miles couldn't shake the feeling that it meant something. He was reluctant to take it, though. Even if he didn't plan on keeping it, it felt like stealing. He gave it a closer look, to see if there was any justifiable reason to call it evidence. 'Just a hunch' was hardly a good excuse. He examined the back of the necklace carefully. Just when he was starting to feel foolish, he noticed a small engraving. _ RO+HW, are those initials? They aren't Mark Ontha's though. Maybe whoever made the necklace put those there? But it looks a bit rough to written by a jeweler. Do those initials match with anyone related to this case?_

Miles considered it for a moment and then it hit him. "Eureka," he said. "Hailey Wethers."

_Is this the connection I've been looking for? But what about RO, who could that be? Not Mark Ontha. Still, it was in his room, it could be important. _Once he had convinced himself that that necklace was of some value to the investigation, Miles put the necklace in his pocket. He tried get rid of the feeling that he had just committed theft. _If it turns out to be nothing at the end of the day, I'll return it._

Before he could argue with himself any more, he left the bedroom. When Miles entered the living room, he saw that the police had already left. _I guess if they're done I won't find much else._ He walked out of the apartment and decided to go back to the parking lot. The forensics team might have finished their tests on the bat and Miles wanted to know the results. He took the stairs back down to the lobby and went into the parking lot. When he finally reached the third floor again, he saw Maria talking to Detective Gumshoe.

"The stimuli needs to be varied, Detective. That way it is established that the goal is to locate a matching scent, not just one thing. They'll also need to look different so he figures out that it's the scent he's after, not just looks. We can ease into that, though. Desensitization would also be helpful. We'll have to get him used to working in different locations, possibly with some distractions. Naturally he'll have to be desensitized to loud noises as well. Can't have him jumping around the room every time he hears, say, a gunshot," Maria said.

After a couple moments, Gumshoe responded, "Right, of course!"

Miles knew the detective only caught half of what Maria just said, so he decided to intervene. He wasn't quite sure what the subject was though. "Coldstare, Gumshoe. What are you talking about?"

Gumshoe and Maria turned their heads when they heard Miles. Gumshoe almost looked relieved.

"Missile's training. I've been meaning to go over a few things with Detective Gumshoe. We were just waiting for forensics to finish testing the bat, you see," Maria said.

"Of course, how is that going?" Miles said.

"Missile's a very intelligent dog. I'd say he's catching on fast, but there's still room for improvement. He hasn't learned everything yet. He's still rather excitable, but I think he just needs to be desensitized. Once he learns to calm down it shouldn't be too hard to teach him everything else."

_Got it, Cesar Millan. _"I see. So when should they be done with that bat?"

"Should be any minute now, sir," Gumshoe said.

As if on cue, a forensics officer approached them with the metal bat. "Finished with the tests, Detective."

"Great, pal. Find anything interesting?" Gumshoe said.

"There was some residue from the blood we found with Luminol. Whoever cleaned the bat didn't do a very good job. Because of that we were able to determine that the blood belonged to Taylor Maide."

"Were there any fingerprints?" Maria asked.

"We found two sets of fingerprints. One set belonged to Rocky Roade. We couldn't identify the other ones though. We went through every sample we had, including Mr. Maide's."

"Another set of fingerprints? What could that mean?" Maria said. Her arms were crossed and she tapped her file on her arm.

"Really? Isn't obvious?" Miles said.

"If it were obvious I wouldn't have said, 'What could that mean?' right?"

"It's really not all that difficult."

"Well if you're so smart, enlighten me."

Miles took out a handkerchief and covered his right hand. He cleared his throat. "That's it! Permittez-moi de voir que!" he said in a high pitched voice and swiped the bat with the hand covered by the cloth.

"Ring any bells?" he said in his normal voice and handed the slightly confused forensics officer the bat.

Maria's cheeked colored slightly and she glared at him. "Really, Edgeworth? You had to act it out? Don't quit your day job."

Miles shrugged and smirked. "I think it got the point across, Coldstare. Shall we take your fingerprints, just to be safe?"

"I suppose I don't want to leave anything unchecked," Maria said.

"Okay. Come with me, Ms. Coldstare," the forensics office said and he and Maria walked away.

Gumshoe sighed.

"What?" Miles asked.

"Nothing," said Gumshoe.

_**Thanks for reading! I meant to post this sooner, but I got caught up throwing knives in my backyard. Best hobby ever. Anyway, you those of you that don't speak French (like me, thanks Google Translate), Maria really did say "Let me see that!" in French. I realized that some might think Miles was hiding something. Please review! :D**_


	7. Chapter 7

In the parking lot, the investigation was starting to wrap up for the day. Officers were putting any equipment into their vehicles and getting ready to go home. Miles and Maria left the crime scene together.

"I should stop by the criminal affairs department to see if Detective Skye has found anything," Maria said.

"Mind if I go come along? I'm curious about the results as well," Miles said.

"If our defendants truly are related, this will matter to you as much as they will to me. You probably should," Maria said, skimming her file once again.

_She must have memorized everything in that file by now. _"Alright then."

They hailed a cab to take them to the police department. It wasn't a long drive, so Miles and Maria were soon walking into the criminal affairs department. They spotted Ema right outside her office. She looked up and smiled when she saw the prosecutors. _Something tells me she has good news._

"Ms. Coldstare, Mr. Edgeworth," Ema said.

"Detective Skye, have you gathered anything useful?" Maria said.

"I had some DNA tests done like you suggested. The results were pretty interesting. I was just about to go to the records room for some extra information. Come with me and I'll show you what was found," Ema said, flashing the papers in her hand.

The three of them walked through the police department as they spoke.

"So exactly what did you find, Detective?" Miles asked.

"I looked at what was on Rocky Roade's file and found it to be pretty limited. So I got some samples and had a few experiments done. Once I had a few relatives confirmed I did some extra digging and made a few connections. I couldn't believe what I found," Ema said.

"Go on," Maria said.

"Rocky Roade isn't the defendant's real name. His real name is Rocky Ontha, scientifically speaking."

"Rocky Ontha, huh?" Miles said.

"Nice job, Detective Skye," Maria said.

Ema took some Snackoos out of her bag and munched on couple. "The really clever part though is that the defendant is related to someone named Rocky Roade. 'Roade' was his mother's maiden name. The real Rocky Roade is the defendant's uncle. This is what threw us off the whole time."

"He really thought this through," Miles commented.

"Yeah, but you can't fool DNA," Ema said proudly.

"By any chance, does Rocky Ontha have a brother, or maybe a cousin, named Mark Ontha?"

"Yep, your defendant is Rocky's older brother."

"How did you…"

"C'mon, Mr. Edgeworth. You really think I wouldn't notice something like that?" Ema said; then popped another chocolate treat into her mouth.

Miles gave a lopsided smirk. _I was right, they are related. Rocky Ontha… why does that strike a chord? _He crossed his arms and thought harder. After giving it some thought, it hit him.

"Hmm, Rocky Ontha. That name reveals yet another connection," Miles said.

"You mean other than being related to Mark Ontha?" Maria said.

"Take a look at this," Miles said and pulled out the necklace with a ruby set in a mahogany medallion.

Maria looked at the ruby necklace for a moment, then said in a voice slightly louder than necessary, "Oh, Edgeworth that's so sweet! How did you know I had a weakness for rubies?"

Some police officers looked at them curiously. Miles recoiled in shock, his face reddened slightly. "What? No, this is evidence!"

Maria put her fingers over her mouth and gave a sly smile. "You can get flustered really easily sometimes, you know that?"

Ema didn't say anything, apparently absorbed in her Snackoos.

_That was revenge for the fingerprints, wasn't it? _Miles cleared his throat and tried to look unfazed. "Anyway, look at the back of the medallion. There's an engraving on the bottom."

The two women stared at the back of the wooden disk intensely. "RO+HW," Ema read.

"Rocky Ontha + Hailey Wethers," Maria said. She looked at Miles, "Where did you find this?"

"In Mark Ontha's apartment," Miles said, leaving out the fact that he had rifled through a jewelry box to find it.

"Why would he have this?" Maria said.

"I'm not entirely sure, but if those initials really do stand for Rocky Ontha and Hailey Wethers that would mean they knew each other at least."

"Do you think it belonged to Ontha or Wethers?" Ema said.

"Again, I'm not sure. I think this requires further investigation. Perhaps we should get to the records room now?" Miles said.

Ema, Miles and Maria went into records room and started browsing the shelves. After several minutes of searching, Miles heard Maria say, "I found something!"

He found her at the end of one of the shelves, already absorbed in the binder she held. 'R. Ontha' was written on the cover. Ema soon joined them and read over Maria's shoulder.

"Anything good?" the detective said, swallowing a Snackoo.

"Could you please not crunch those chocolate things right next to my ear?" Maria said numbly and turned the page.

Ema took a step back and bit into a Snackoo. The crunch was so loud it sounded like she chipped a tooth. Maria ignored it and continued to read. A few page-flips later she exclaimed, "That's it!"

"What's it?" Miles said.

"Look at this. Read the third paragraph," Maria said and tilted the binder in his direction.

Miles looked at the page and his eyes were immediately drawn to one sentence. "His fiancé was Hailey Wethers," he read aloud.

Ema put her hand to her cheek. "Fiancé?"

Miles took out his case file and checked the victim data. "There's nothing here about a fiancé."

"Look at the photos, is she wearing a ring?" Maria said.

"No, not anywhere," Miles said. "Perhaps they broke up recently?"

"It's possible. Or the killer could've taken it." Maria said.

"I suppose that's a possibility as well. I wonder if there's anyone who would know of the relationship between Wethers and Ontha."

"Hmm, I imagine the family would know," Maria said.

"I guess I could call them. I think I have his mother's phone number somewhere on file," Ema said.

"Sounds good, Detective Skye," Maria said.

"I'll back in a few minutes," Ema said and left the two prosecutors in the records room.

Maria went back to reading and Miles looked around the room. He waited patiently for the detective to return with confirmation. During that time he mentally went through all the facts of the case. _I suppose if the victim was his brother's ex-fiancé; that would be a motive for Mark Ontha. It feels kind of… distant though. He has a better motive to kill Taylor Maide. Come to think of it, Rocky would have a better motive to kill Hailey Wethers._

He noticed Maria had finished reading. "Anything useful?" Miles said.

"Not particularly, I wish I had found something to link him to Taylor Maide," Maria said.

"Motive does seem to be an issue here. It would be simple if the defendants were in each other's place, though."

"Actually, it would be even harder to prove them guilty," Maria said.

"Why do you say that?"

"You already know it's impossible for Rocky Ontha to have been in the parking lot at the time of the Wethers murder. Same goes for Mark Ontha when Taylor Maide was killed."

"That's right; Mark Ontha wasn't at the Lordly Tailor that day."

"Exactly, it's pretty obvious."

"Well yes, I suppose it would be for someone who's been reading case files constantly."

"Knowing all the facts does make things easier, you know."

"I'm well aware of that."

"Really- wait. Do you hear that?" Maria said, looking around the floor.

At first, he didn't hear anything. Soon, however, he couldn't stop hearing it. There was a low rumbling noise, followed by a sensation of instability. _That tremor, don't panic Miles. It's just an-_

"Earthquake!" Maria said. Just then the rumbling grew louder and the shaking intensified. Maria screamed.

Miles barely registered what was happening in front of him. His vision started to blur as his sight melded with memories of the past. _Don't faint, Miles. Don't faint. Keep it together. _He felt numb and disconnected from the world around him. His eyes were open, but Miles saw nothing. He was too ensnared in his mind as the room around him shook. He could only manage one thought, _don't faint._

Miles didn't know how long the earthquake had lasted, or how long he had been trapped in his daze. Slowly, he escaped from inside himself and realized that everything was still again. He noticed he was sitting on the floor, with his arms wrapped around his legs. Miles looked in front of him and saw Maria standing across from him, her back to a bookshelf. She pressed the binder against her chest while her crossed arms clutched her shoulders. Behind her now crooked glasses, her eyes were distant and unfocused.

Miles stood up and leaned against a shelf until he regained his balance. When his legs finally stopped trembling, he let go.

"Coldstare?" he said.

Maria's eyes regained focus and she straightened herself. While readjusting her glasses, she said, "Edgeworth, are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine," he lied._ At least I didn't faint._ "What about you?"

"I'm unharmed," she said, loosening her hold on the binder and standing rigidly.

"Good to hear," Miles said. He looked at the floor, trying to think of a different topic. "Looks like some of the binders fell off the shelves."

Maria looked down and noticed the scattered documents around her feet. "We should probably fix that. Everything is packed in quite tightly, though. So there shouldn't be too many."

Glad to have something constructive to occupy his mind, Miles collected the books off the floor and put them on the shelves accordingly. It was a simple task; the prosecutors finished the job in mere minutes.

"I wonder where Detective Skye is. I hope she wasn't hurt," Maria said.

"I'm sure she's fine, but we should probably check. It was a small tremor, though," Miles said. _I think._


	8. Chapter 8

_**Okay, so here's Chapter Eight. This chapter was inspired by "Double Defense," which is a music video on YouTube combining the Objection! themes for PW:AA and AJ:AA. It's really awesome, I listened to it on loop the entire time I was writing this. You might want to listen to it when you read and review.**_

The tremor didn't cause any damage, unless you consider scattered paperwork damage. Miles and Maria found Ema outside her office again.

"Detective Skye, I take it you're alright?" Maria said.

Ema turned around and noticed the prosecutors. "Oh, I'm just fine. I got knocked out of my chair, but nothing serious. What about you two?"

"We're alright. Did you talk to the Mrs. Ontha?"

"Yes, we were just wrapping up when that earthquake hit. Rocky Ontha and Hailey Wethers cancelled their wedding last month. Looks like they were having some relationship troubles."

"I see; anything else?" Miles said.

"Not really. But between you and me, Mrs. Ontha didn't sound all that heartbroken about the break-up."

"Alright, thank-you Detective Skye," Maria said.

"Don't mention it. You're way better than the glimmerous fop," Ema said and went back to her office.

_The what? _Miles looked at Maria, who just shrugged.

They left the police department and got a taxi to take them back to the Prosecutors Building. When Miles and Maria were dropped off, they walked inside the building. Feeling confident that they now had all the facts, they went back to their offices and prepared for the trials to come.

A gavel banged on a podium, instantly silencing the gallery crowd. "Court is now is session," the judge said.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Grossberg said.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Miles said.

"Very good. We left off with the prosecution's witness claiming to see the defendant at the time of the murder. Except it gave him an alibi rather than prove his guilt. What does the prosecution have to say about this?" said the judge.

"The prosecution stands by its claim that the defendant is the murder," Miles said.

"Objection!" Grossberg said. "There is no evidence to support that claim!"

"Objection!" Miles retorted. "There is indeed evidence. For instance, the murder weapon belonged to the defendant and only his fingerprints were found."

"Objection!" Grossberg said. "Of course his fingerprints were on the gun, he owned it! Someone could have easily stolen the gun to mask their crime!"

"Objection!" Miles said, tapping his forehead. "Sorry, but that's impossible. The police checked and there were no signs of a break-in. And don't forget; only Mr. Ontha's fingerprints were found. Meaning the forensics team didn't even find glove marks."

Grossberg bent over and put his hand on his back. "Ooh."

The defense attorney straightened up and pounded his desk. "But what about motive? Mark Ontha has no connection with the victim whatsoever!"

"Objection!" Miles says. "The defendant has a motive. Allow me to explain. Three days ago, a man was murdered at a department store known as the Lordly Tailor. His name was Taylor Maide, and was killed in the employee break room."

Maria Coldstare faced the courtroom with a black notebook in her right hand. "The victim had recently been promoted to assistant manager for the "Treasures of Kurain" exhibit. There was a lot of competition for the job. One of these candidates was a staff member by the name of Mark Ontha. This particular man is a perfectionist by nature; he doesn't handle failure very well."

"Before you continue, Ms. Coldstare," said the blonde-bearded judge, "I think you might be getting a bit off topic. What does this man have to do with Mr. Roade?"

"My apologies, Your Honor. Perhaps I should have made something else clear to begin with," Maria said with a confident smirk

"What would that be?"

"Rocky Roade is not the defendant's real name, Your Honor. Through our investigation the prosecution learned that his name is Rocky Ontha."

"Rocky Ontha?" Grossberg said, stunned when Miles revealed who the defendant was in the Lordly Tailor case.

Miles showed his palms with an expression of pure confidence, "Yes, it is exactly what you think it is, Mr. Grossberg. They are relatives, brothers to be precise. While they are separated by a few years, they are practically spitting images of each other. Of course, that day Rocky Ontha was carrying a duffel bag."

"A duffel bag?" Grossberg said, dreading the direction the trial was taking.

"Yes, in fact it is the prosecution's belief that Rocky Ontha was the man Arnold Coot saw in the lobby that day."

"Objection!" Grossberg said. "Such a coincidence is unrealistic. What are the odds that the defendant's look-alike brother would just happen to be in the lobby at the same time as the murder?"

"There is evidence that shows the chances to be greater than you think."

Maria presented the metal baseball bat. "We determined the metal bat to be the murder weapon. This was confirmed by the victim's blood traces found on the bat, along with the Rocky Ontha's fingerprints. When he fled the crime scene, he took it with him and left it on the third floor of Cinder Apartment blocks' parking lot."

Maria slammed her desk with her notebook still in hand. "Also known as the scene of Hailey Wethers' murder!"

"And why would Rocky Ontha go there? That act reveals the ingenious trick behind these murders," Miles said. He tapped his forehead. "In order to confuse the police, the Ontha brothers switched targets."

"Stop!" a new voice shouted. Heads turned to see Mark Ontha sweating bullets. "Just stop! Leave my little brother out of this! He wouldn't do that!"

"Why would I want this Wethers girl dead?" Rocky Ontha said aggressively. "Neither me or Mark don't know this chick!"

"Objection!" Maria said. She opened her notebook her new suspect data. "That is completely false. In fact, you and Hailey Wethers were engaged until last month!"

"But-" Rocky started to say, but Maria cut him off.

"Resources confirmed all of this, Mr. Ontha!"

Miles pounded his desk. "Your efforts to hide your crime are the very things that give you away! The evidence, the connections to your brother's case, everything points to one, single conclusion!"

Miles and Maria pointed their fingers at the defendants trembling before them. Unwittingly, they spoke in unison, "You, Mr. Ontha, are the murderer!"

Silence filled the air as everyone in the gallery stared at Mark Ontha. The sound of heavy breathing slowly grew louder until finally, Mark lost control.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!" he screamed. "It wasn't supposed to be like this! You weren't supposed to figure that out! Just shut up! Rocks, I promised Rocky I would protect him! I was going to keep my little brother safe! It was perfect! No, no, no!" Mark put his hands over his face, tears flowing along with a cold sweat. "I was supposed to be perfect. Why did I have to fail?"

Rocky's knuckles turned white as he balled his hands into fists. "ARGH! I always slip up! Mark had it all planned out, all I had to do was get it right! But I forgot the stupid bat! It's all my fault. My brother trusted me! I blew it! I'm sorry Mark!"

Rocky Ontha was restrained by a court bailiff, until he stopped struggling and just panted.

"Well, since the defendant has confessed, I see no room for error. I think it's time to deliver the verdict," said the judge.

The judges overseeing both courtrooms slammed their gavels in unison. "This court finds the defendant, guilty!" they said.

The gallery erupted in celebration, cheering at the sight of justice being served.

In the prosecution's waiting room, Miles put the last of his papers away in his briefcase. He latched it closed, grabbed it by the handle, and walked out the door. He saw Maria down the hall and walked up to her. She noticed him and Miles was pleased to see an air of confidence around her.

"So, how did the trial go?" Miles said, even though he knew the answer.

"Rocky Ontha is being escorted to jail as we speak," Maria said.

"Congratulations."

"Thank-you. And where is Mark Ontha right now?"

"I imagine in the back of a police car," Miles said smugly.

"Good. It was a pleasure working with you, Edgeworth," Maria stuck out her hand.

"I'm glad we were able to bring the truth to light," Miles said, and shook her hand.


	9. Chapter 9

Miles reached the 12th floor of the Prosecutors Building. It had been a couple weeks since the Ontha brother's incident, so Miles had been given a new assignment. In his briefcase was the paperwork he needed to complete.

As he approached his office, the next to it opened and Maria stepped out reading a book. In her other hand, Missile was on a leash. "Hello," she said, although Miles didn't see her look away from her book.

Miles had grown to respect the female prosecutor; she was very logical and adept. Her ability to know what was going on around her with looking up still mystified him, though. "Coldstare, going somewhere?"

Maria lifted the leash in her hand. "Training."

"Ah, good luck with that," Miles said and entered his office.

Miles put his briefcase on his desk and immediately started on the paperwork. There was a lot in there; it could very well take all day. Not that he minded; Miles had no problem with paperwork. He took out the first document and began reading.

Miles sipped some tea, which had gone cold long ago. He didn't care though; he needed the caffeine to stay awake. It was 2 AM and Miles hadn't stopped working since lunch. All the other prosecutors had gone home six or seven hours ago, even the secretaries and maintenance workers had left long ago. No one knew he was in his office, so they had locked up and turned all the lights off. Only a light stand on his desk illuminated in the office.

_Come on, Miles. Just finish already. It's not like you can go home now anyway._ He stared at the papers scattered on his desk. He took another sip of his tea and tried to read the next document, however the words were blurry and unfocused. Miles didn't give up though; he was too determined to finish. _There can't be that much more left._

He didn't know what time it was, but Miles didn't care. A half hour later he was slumped on his desk, unconscious. His head and arms covered the incomplete paperwork.

Maria opened her car door and Missile hopped out. Taking the little dog by the leash, Maria walked out of the parking lot. To her surprise, the Chief Prosecutor was standing right in front her.

"Good morning, Chief," she said.

"Ms. Coldstare, perfect," the Chief said. "Your office is next to Mr. Edgeworth's isn't it?"

"Yes, why?"

"In a minute I should be getting an important phone. It's going to last all day, could you give Mr. Edgeworth this memo?" The Chief showed her an envelope.

"Not a problem," Maria said. Missile yapped in agreement.

Just then the Chief's cell phone rang. "Thank-you," the Chief Prosecutor handed Maria the envelope and answered the phone.

Maria and Missile went up to the 12th floor of the Prosecutor's Building and Maria dropped Missile off in her office before going to Miles'. She knocked on the door and waited. After a couple minutes, she tried again. "I thought I saw his car, isn't he here?" Maria muttered and experimentally turned the doorknob. The door opened and Maria stepped inside.

She saw Miles with his head down on his desk, resting on his arms. Maria approached him carefully. "Edgeworth?"

"Go away," Miles said.

"What?" Maria said, caught off guard.

"Get out of my room Franzy," Miles said, not looking up.

Maria was totally lost now. "Franzy? My name isn't Franzy!"

"Sorry, princess."

"Princess? What is your problem?" Maria said, getting irritated.

"I have this annoying little girl that won't leave me alone," Miles said.

"Excuse me?"

Miles snored softly. Maria realized what was going on. "Edgeworth, wake up!" she shouted and hit her book against his desk.

"Objection!" Miles said and bolted upright. He looked around wide-eyed until he figured out where he was. "Oh, Coldstare."

"What happened to Franzy?" Maria said, still feeling miffed despite knowing he had been dreaming.

"Franzy? What are you…?" Miles put his head in his hands. "Not again," he mumbled.

"Have you been here all night?"

Miles yawned; then reddened. "Yes."

"Who is Franzy anyway?"

"Franziska, my, uh, little sister. Anyway, why are you here?"

Maria decided not to rib him about it too much; she had fallen asleep at her desk a couple times too. She handed him the message, "From the Chief Prosecutor."

Miles took the envelope and opened it. He read the note, folded the paper, and put it in his pocket. "Thank-you, Coldstare."

"What does the Chief want?"

"Oh, it's just a reminder that I have until the end of the week to take care of this," Miles gestured to papers on his desk. He stood up and started organizing them.

"You have the week to finish this?"

"A bit excessive, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is," Maria said. "This looks like two or three days work."

"My thoughts exactly. Well, I should probably get back to it now," the thought of breakfast never even crossed his mind. Tea was good enough; he needed to finish his work.

"Alright, I'll get out of your room now," Maria smirked, she couldn't resist one last tease.

"My… oh. Now I remember," Miles said, not making eye contact. He started to recollect what he had been dreaming about.

Maria strut out of his office and entered her own. Missile greeted her like she had been gone all day. Maria rubbed his head and sat behind her desk. She grabbed her fountain pen and took care of some paperwork herself.

Later that day, Maria attached a leash to Missile's collar and led him out of the office. She had to pause a couple times to get Missile to calm down, but his discipline was improving. Maria locked the door behind her and started down the hall. Missile perked his ears up and turned around. Maria looked behind her and saw Miles open his office door.

He noticed them and said, "Hello Coldstare, Missile."

Missile wagged his tail at the mention of his name. "Edgeworth; off to get some lunch?" Maria said.

"Just something quick, what about you?"

"Training again, we'll eat something afterwards. Dog treats are more motivating before a meal, naturally."

"Where exactly do you train him anyway?" Miles inquired and casually pointed his finger.

"The police department has a place for this kind of thing, but we're going somewhere else. I want Missile's training to apply to any area and for him to get used to seeing new places. He's pretty good about it, but it's good to be consistent with desensitization."

"You seem to know a lot about dog training."

"My aunt trains dogs for a living, actually. I learned the all the basics from her and I researched some of the details," Maria said proudly.

"The basics?" Miles said curiously.

"When teaching a desired behavior you need to make the cue, behavior and the consequence. Aunt Alicia specialized in positive reinforcement training, so the consequence would be a reward. To do this, you need a clear idea ahead of time of what the behavior you what to teach is. In other words, your goal. You then need take small steps towards this goal, being patient and consistent. You should also have what Aunt Alicia called a 'bridge,' something that connects the behavior to the reward. Some trainers use a whistle or a clicker, but a verbal bridge, like 'good boy',' works just as well. As long as you maintain this effectiveness, again by being consistent," Maria lectured. She was very knowledgeable in this field, and couldn't help but go on about it.

Miles looked at her with a thoughtful expression. "I think I understand. Those are the basics, huh?"

"More or less, it's the foundation for training any kind of behavior," Maria said, starting to feel self-conscious about her sudden rambling.

The conversation shifted to other things; work, local news, what was news and what was baseless gossip, until they were outside the Prosecutors Building. They said their good-byes and parted ways, feeling oddly content.

**_Hope this chapter was interesting enough. Miles always struck me as someone who talks in his sleep. I don't know why, I just make observations like that. Plus I always loved the brother-sister relationship with Miles and Franziska. The next chapter is coming soon; I already have it planned out. And what would an author's note be without saying, read and review? _**


	10. Chapter 10

Miles searched his bookshelf for an old case file. Another prosecutor was investigating a larceny and apparently the victim had ties to another case. He ran his finger over every book he could reach. He glanced up at the top of the bookshelf, which touched the ceiling of his office. _I really hope it's not one of those._

He almost sighed in relief when he found the file he had been looking for. He pulled in off the shelf and heard a loud thumping sound. He looked at the file, then at the bookshelf. _Should I put this back? No wait, I think it came from the wall behind it._ Miles walked over to where the wall was bare and wondered what had caused the noise. _Coldstare's office is on the other side of this wall, is she okay?_

Growing concerned, Miles put the file on a small table and stepped out of his office. He knocked on Maria's office door.

"It's not locked," he heard Maria say from inside.

Miles opened the door and stepped inside. Maria's face was shoved in a book, looking like nothing had happened.

"What brings you here?" Maria said.

"I heard a loud thumping noise from here, are you alright?" Miles said, slightly confused and immensely suspicious.

"I'm fine Edgeworth; that was just Missile bouncing off the walls."

"Literally?"

"He was protecting me from a bug," Maria said, putting air quotations around "protecting."

Miles didn't buy it. He looked at Maria skeptically, but he couldn't make eye contact because her book was in the way. He didn't know what was going on, or how to find out. Maria certainly wasn't going to tell him. Miles considered letting it go, then he noticed what Maria was reading.

Miles raised an eyebrow. "Coldstare… Why are you reading that book upside down?"

"It's more mentally stimulating that way," Maria said, completely unfazed.

"Is it now?"

"Yes, is that all you wanted to know?"

"Actually, there is one more thing."

"What would that be?"

Miles walked over to Maria, who held the book closer. He lowered the book away from her face. She glared at him, but Miles didn't really take notice. He was too busy wondering where her glasses were.

"Why aren't you wearing your glasses?" Miles asked.

Maria crossed her arms, looking peeved. "What does it matter?"

"You lost them, didn't you?"

"I…" Maria was reluctant to admit it.

"Let me guess, for some reason you bumped into the wall and knocked your glasses off."

Maria rubbed her arm, looking defeated. "Yes."

"Would you like me to help you find them?"

"No, I have an idea. Missile!" Maria said, and the little dog skipped over to her.

"Find my glasses, boy," Maria directed.

Missile barked and began sniffing around. He searched around the room, and yapped again when he found them under Maria's desk. He picked them up with his mouth and the prosecutors heard a cracking noise.

"No! Missile, drop it," Maria said. She went over to the dog and kneeled down. Missile dropped the now broken glasses and Maria examined his mouth the best she could. "Does he have any glass in his mouth? Can you tell?" she asked Miles.

Miles checked the dog's mouth and said, "No, I think he's okay. What about your glasses?"

"They're not going to help anyone," Maria said and sighed. She held up the broken frames with the cracked lenses. The right lens was completely shattered.

"Do you have any spares?" Miles asked.

"I have a pair at home, I'll have to go get them," Maria stood up and went over to her coat hanger with a coat and a purse on it. She reached out to grab her purse, but missed by a couple inches.

"Coldstare, how bad is your eyesight?" Miles said, worried.

"I'm fine," Maria said defensively.

"Coldstare, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Well, since your entire hand is up, technically the answer is five."

"You're not driving," Miles said.

"What?"

"First of all, I'm holding both hands up. So by your evasive logic I'm holding up ten fingers."

"Who puts up both hands?"

"Someone who suspected you had a way of avoiding the question. I'm not letting you drive."

"Would you prefer I walk then?"

"I'm over here," Miles deadpanned.

"Be quiet!"

"Would you like me to drive you?" Miles said in a nicer tone.

"I can't ask you to do that, you don't even know where I live."

"Tell me where you live, then."

"I'm sure you don't want Missile in your car. And I don't want to leave him alone in room with broken glass."

"Missile wouldn't be a problem. Unless he plans on eating the headrest I don't mind at all."

Maria sighed in submission, "Alright, here Missile."

Missile walked over to Maria and she put his leash on. She opened the door and walked out with Missile and Miles. Miles was glad that Maria didn't run into anything; her eyesight was obviously very bad. They didn't say anything as they walked down to the lobby and into the parking lot. Miles unlocked his car and got in the driver's seat. Maria put Missile in the back seat and herself up front next to Miles.

Maria told Miles where she lived and they drove off. A few minutes into the drive, Miles realized he was starting to feel awkward. The silence felt unnatural, like he was supposed to be saying something. It didn't get any better when he stopped at a red light.

"So what exactly did happen?" Miles said, it was the first thing that came to his head.

"It was as you said, I knocked into the wall," she hesitated to continue. "A book was stuck in my bookshelf. I, uh, overestimated how hard I needed to pull to get it out."

Miles realized the conversation would only make things more awkward and changed topics. "You live pretty close to the Prosecutor's Building."

"Well I moved here because of the job offer. I thought it would make sense to live nearby."

"That's right; I forgot you're from another district. Is it much different from here?"

"Not really, same rules apply. Although to be honest, I've met some much more interesting people here. Inside and outside the courthouse."

_Interesting, yeah that's a good word._ "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Depends on the individual."

Miles nodded his head, but realized Maria couldn't see it. "True."

They soon reached Maria's home and got out of Miles' car. Maria felt around her purse for her keys, at last taking them out. She held them close to her face, trying to find the right one. Miles just watched as Maria eventually figured out which key was which and unlocked the door. _Just how impaired is the poor girl? _

"Come inside, I should only be a moment," Maria said.

Miles stepped inside to find a comfortably decorated living room. He watched nervously as Maria maneuvered around the room and disappeared to another room. He waited for something to break, but heard nothing. He looked at Missile, who had stayed in the living room with him. The dog ran off and came back with a green rubber ball in his mouth. He looked up expectantly at Miles.

"I'm not here to play, Missile," Miles said.

Missile dropped the ball by his feet and sat down, still looking up at him. _Ugh, no one does puppy-dog eyes better than a puppy._

"Alright, one throw," Miles said and picked up the ball, much to Missile's delight.

Miles tossed the green ball to the other side of the room and watched the dog go after it. A smile crept onto his face when Missile came back and dropped the ball again. Miles looked away and tried to ignore him. In truth, he loved dogs, but something held him back. He glanced at Missile and found that he hadn't moved. Miles caved in and threw the ball again.

When Missile came back, Miles knelt down and rubbed his head. "I guess you are a good boy, Missile."

The dog barked in reply and Miles felt the smile come back. Missile picked up the ball again and silently pleaded.

"You're one scary police dog, you know that? Last time, I mean it," Miles said and threw the ball.

As he threw the ball, Maria walked into the room with a pair of black plastic framed glasses on. She saw Missile go after the ball and looked at Miles. He tilted his head slightly and smiled sheepishly.

"Nice glasses," he said. They were quite lovely on her.

"Thank-you, but they're not as good. I'll have to order a new pair later. I hope Missile didn't pester you too much," Maria said with a knowing smile.

Miles slipped his hands into his pockets. "Not at all. We should probably get back."

"Sounds good."

Miles, Maria and Missile got back into Miles' car and rode to the Prosecutors Building. Miles parked the car and they all went up to the 12th floor.

As they walked up the stairs, Miles said, "Hey, Coldstare, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Maria said.

"I can't figure out if you're nearsighted or farsighted. You held up the keys close to your face to see them, which suggests you see better up close. Yet you were able to navigate around without running into anything, which to me suggests you see better from afar. So which is it?"

"I see better up close," Maria said. "I can still make out basic shapes from afar, though. I take advantage of that and use my other senses as well. It was a while before anyone realized I needed glasses to begin with."

"You hid it?"

"I suppose I did. If I couldn't see something clearly I'd give a vague description, and I don't rely as heavily on my sight to move around."

Something clicked when she said that. _So that's how she reads and walks at the same time._

"I wasn't until I was moved to the back of the class that it became obvious that I couldn't see very well," Maria said.

"How old were you?" Miles asked.

"Around 10, I think," Maria said after giving it some thought.

"Wow, you've had glasses for a while now."

"You get used to it pretty quickly."

They arrived at their offices and Miles and Maria opened their doors, respectively.

"Oh, Edgeworth?" Maria said.

"Yes?" Miles said.

"Eh, thanks," she said and stepped into her office.


	11. Chapter 11

He almost slipped on it. Miles was walking up the stairs to get back to office after a meeting at the police department. On the fifth level, he stepped on a piece of paper. That paper slid off the stairs from underneath him. If he hadn't grabbed the stair rail, he might have tumbled down the entire staircase. Miles looked around and reoriented himself, glad that no one had seen that.

He saw the sneaky paper a couple steps below and picked it up. It was a page from a court record. He skimmed through and found the prosecutor. _Thanks Coldstare. Guess I'd better give this back to her._

Miles went up the remaining stairs until he was on the 12th floor at last. He found Maria's office and knocked on the door. To his surprise, Missile opened it for him. _How could I forget that he that can open doors?_

Miles stepped inside and saw Maria standing next her desk reading something. She had gotten her glasses replaced a couple days ago, but Miles didn't see them because Maria was facing away from him. He was able to greet her when she spoke.

"A crow flew to me, kept its distance. Such a proud creation. I saw it's sole, envied its pride. But needed nothing it had," Maria sang softly.

_Again? _Miles watched as Maria continued to sing.

"Don't give me love, don't give me faith. Wisdom, nor pride, give innocence instead. Don't give me love, I've had my share. Beauty, nor rest, give me truth instead."

Miles was hesitant to interrupt her, she seemed so at peace. _She does have a nice voice, I'll give her that. _The song conveyed a nice message, and the lyrics were very artistic, almost mesmerizing, as Maria sang.

"A swan of white, she came to me. The lake mirrored; her beauty sweet. I kissed her neck, adored her grace. But needed nothing she could give."

She sang the chorus a couple times more, than used a tone that sounded more like talking than singing. "Don't give me love, don't give me faith. Wisdom, nor pride, give innocence instead. Don't give me love, I've had my share. Beauty, nor rest, give me truth instead," she stretched the last note as she turned around. She looked up from her book and saw Miles.

"When did you get here?" Maria said, mortified.

"A couple minutes ago. Missile let me in," Miles said nonchalantly.

"How come you're always the one to walk in on me? It's not like I do this all the time."

Miles shrugged. "Coincidence, I suppose. Anyway, you dropped this," he handed Maria the page.

Maria just blushed as she accepted the paper and put it on her desk. Miles considered saying something, but he had trouble think of something that wouldn't possibly be interpreted as a taunt.

"Sorry for intruding," Miles tilted his head and smiled nervously, suddenly he felt very much like an intruder.

"Well, I guess Missile was the one to open the door," Maria said and looked at the little dog now curled up on the floor.

_That lesson really backfired on you, didn't it? _Miles thought. Out loud, he said, "Well, I'd better get back to my office."

"Of course, see you later."

Miles walked out of Maria's office and into his. He opened the safe behind the jacket he had framed and took out the evidence he had stored. He had a trial soon and wanted to examine everything one more time.

A couple days later, Miles strode down the hallway after a successful trial. It had been a pretty open and shut case; the defendant had been caught on video robbing a family's house. Not to mention the pawn shop dealer that she sold everything to called the police as soon as she left.

As he walked down the hall, Miles noticed Maria talking to a man. _Who is that? Is he a prosecutor here?_ The man looked to be around thirty, with dark hair and a sun kissed complexion. Miles couldn't hear the conversation, but he could see the man had an air of calm confidence as he spoke. Maria had a book resting in her arms and smirked when the man said something.

_What's she smirking about? Wait, why do I care? _Something felt weird about the man speaking with Maria, but Miles couldn't place it. He just watched them while continuing to walk down the hallway, trying to sort through his suspicions. He truly had no clue what he was feeling, but it made him uncomfortable. _I've never seen that man in my life, so it's not that I've met him before. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him. He's just a man talking to Coldstare, nothing strange. So why can't I shake this feeling? _

The man waved his hand and walked away from Maria. As he left, the odd feeling Miles had started to leave as well. However, his confusion remained. As Miles attempted to solve his puzzling attitude, Maria noticed him walking down the hall.

"Oh, hello Edgeworth," she said.

"Hello Coldstare. Who was the man you were speaking with?" Miles said.

"His name is Xavier. He wanted to ask me about couple things."

"Such as?"

"Nothing important, really. Why do you ask?"

Miles felt reluctant to tell Maria about his suspicions; after all they were completely baseless. Not to mention he wasn't quite sure what he was suspicious about. "Just curious, I guess. I've never seen him around; I wondered if he was a prosecutor."

"No, I believe he's a botanist. I've only met him once myself."

"So he's not a friend of yours?"

"Not really, no."

"What makes you think he's a botanist then?"

"Well, when someone says, 'Hi I'm Xavier, a botanist at the garden store down the street,' I tend to think they're a botanist. You're rather inquiring today."

Miles crossed his arms, "No, I was merely curious."

"There's a difference between curious and nosy, Edgeworth."

"I wasn't trying to pry," Miles said defensively. He wished he hadn't asked so many questions, but they had all come out before he could think. _I'm not usually so rash, what is it with me today?_

"I'm just saying you should be more aware of things like that. People might think you're being rude," Maria said sternly.

"I apologize if I was offensive in any way," Miles said, guilt washing over him. He looked away Maria's disciplinary gaze and noticed a paper on the floor. He bent down and picked it up. On it Maria's name was written with intricate handwriting. He held it out to Maria, "I believe this is yours."

Maria took the envelope and examined it. "I wonder who this is from."

Not wanting to pry, Miles just shrugged.

"Huh, maybe it's from a detective or something. I'll read that later," Maria put the letter in her book next to a bookmark keeping her place.

They chatted for a while, and then Miles went into his office to take care of some paperwork. A couple hours later he signed the last document and put everything away. He poured himself a cup of tea and sat down. His thoughts drifted away from his recent trial and Miles found himself thinking about the man who had spoken with Maria, that Xavier person. _What was that feeling he gave me? There must be something off about him. That's the only reason I can think of for my reaction. Why am I so focused on this anyway? _

Miles purged his thoughts of Xavier from his mind and downed the rest of his tea. He then grabbed the documents for the police department and went downstairs to fax them.


	12. Chapter 12

Miles sat at his desk doing his taxes. Things had slowed down for him since his last case, so there wasn't much else for him to do. He didn't mind days like this, though. They were a good chance to get other things done. After he worked through yet another page, he decided to grab a quick lunch at a nearby café before continuing.

Miles walked out of his office and soon entered the parking lot of the Prosecutors Building. As he searched through his pockets for his keys, he recognized the sound of a dog barking.

He looked up to say hello to Maria and Missile, but they weren't there. Miles looked around until he saw Missile in the back of a dented car. _I'm pretty sure Coldstare doesn't drive that, but it does look familiar._

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir," Miles turned and saw Detective Gumshoe stride over.

"Gumshoe, that's your car isn't it?" Miles said, pointing to the vehicle Missile was in.

"Yeah, that's mine."

"Are you taking Missile somewhere?"

"I guess you could say that," Gumshoe said and rubbed the back of his neck. "He needs a place to stay after what happened to Ms. Coldstare."

"Coldstare? What happened to her?" Miles said, worrying she might be hurt.

"You didn't hear about it, sir? There was a murder last night."

"A murder?" Miles said, about to have a heart attack.

"Yeah, Ms. Coldstare was arrested."

Since Miles was relieved to find it was not Maria who had been killed, it took a moment for what Gumshoe said to sink in. "She was arrested for murder?"

"I know, I was surprised too when I was assigned to the case. The evidence is pretty good, though. Not to mention there are two witnesses."

"Two of them?" Miles said incredulously. _That can't be right. She would never do that._

Gumshoe sighed. "Between you and me sir, I don't want to believe it. She was a good prosecutor, you know?"

Miles didn't want to believe it either. _There must be more to this. I just can't picture Coldstare killing somebody. _After giving it some thought, Miles said, "Thank you for informing me, Detective. I should be going now, have a nice day."

"Yes, sir. You too."

Miles got in his car, igniting the engine and drove off. While he was driving, he started thinking about Maria. _I hope she's okay. Why on Earth would they suspect Coldstare? There must be some reason, but how should I know? _His mind was going in circles the entire drive. Eventually, he parked his car and entered the Detention Center.

He requested an audience with Maria and sat down. He needed to hear her side of the story. A few minutes later, Maria was escorted into the room with cold expression on her face. She looked the same; she even had a book in her hand. When she noticed Miles, surprise softened her features. However, it only lasted for a brief moment. She glared at him and sat down on the other side of the glass.

"Miles Edgeworth, come to laugh at the fallen attorney? Well go ahead," Maria said bitterly.

_Why does that sound familiar?_ Miles dismissed the thought and focused on Maria. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Maria said, her tone implying she wanted the conversation to end.

Miles ignored the tone and continued. "What happened?"

"I was accused of murder, as I'm sure you know."

"But you're okay?"

"Yes, is it that all?"

"You still haven't told me what happened."

"It's none of your business."

"I know you didn't kill anyone, Maria," Miles said sternly.

For a moment, Maria was stunned at the use of her first name. She gripped her right arm and looked away. "Look, I'm not in the mood to talk."

"Coldstare," Miles said, concern building inside him.

"Don't pity me, Edgeworth. That is the last thing I need right now," Maria said, getting annoyed.

"I'm not here to pity you. I'm here to find out what happened, and I want to hear your side of the story."

"Why do you care? Oh, are you going to represent me?" Her acidic sarcasm was written all over face.

"Well, no I-wait," Miles said, "Coldstare, do you not have an attorney?"

Maria cringed. "Why would you think that?"

"I'm right aren't I? Just tell me the truth," Miles said.

"I told you I'm fine. Besides, the state will get me an attorney."

"So you don't have a lawyer, then."

Maria gritted her teeth. With a heated anger in her eyes, she looked directly at Miles. "Alright I don't have a lawyer, happy? I called every defense attorney and they all turned me down, said my case was hopeless," she vented.

_Every defense attorney? But… _"You called every single lawyer?"

"Yes! Every lawyer in this bleeding phone book!" Maria slammed the book in frustration.

_But that can't be. _Miles wracked his brain and tried to figure out the puzzle before him. _They all turned her down, but I know there's somebody who would hear her out. I know it looks bad, but someone would believe her. Every defense attorney in the phone book… _Eventually, a theory formed.

"About that phone book," Miles said.

"Do you think I missed one?" Maria said, obviously confident that she didn't.

"No, but I was wondering if you could show me something."

"What?"

"The copyright page."


	13. Chapter 13

Maria raised her eyebrow, but didn't ask the obvious question. She quickly found the page Miles had asked about. She looked at him wearily. "This was printed five years ago. Does that mean anything to you?"

Miles smirked and tapped his forehead. He had been hoping for answer like that. "Yes, perfect."

Miles took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed. Once he pressed the call button, he held the phone to his ear and waited for his call to be answered. He didn't have to wait long.

"Hello?" said a voice on the other end of the line.

"Wright, it's me Edgeworth. Can you come to the detention center?" Miles said.

"The detention center? Oh don't tell me, not again."

"What do you mean, again? Never mind, when can you be here?"

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Great, see you then," Miles said and hung up.

Maria looked at him skeptically. "Who did you call? Some rookie?"

"What makes you think he's a rookie?"

"Obviously this person wasn't a lawyer when this phone book was printed. Ergo he's only been a lawyer for a few years at the most," Maria said.

"Can I see that book for a minute?" Miles said.

There was a slot under the glass that allowed Maria to pass the book over to Miles. He flipped through and eventually found what he was looking for. "Here we are, take a look."

He faced the book to Maria, who read the name he had pointed out. "Wright Talent Agency? What the- hold on. Wright?"

"Your deductions earlier were mostly correct. Wright didn't work for a law firm when this book was made. For a few years he worked at a talent agency, but recently he became a defense attorney again."

"He worked at a talent agency?" Maria said, incredulously. "As what, dare I ask?"

"As I recall; a pianist. But he's no rookie lawyer, trust me," Miles said. _This beginning to sound bad, I can feel it. Wright, don't embarrass yourself when you get here._

"A pianist. Alright," Maria said. "When will he be here?"

"His office isn't too far from here, it shouldn't be long," Miles said.

They waited for what was quite possibly the slowest eight minutes of Miles' life. He just sat across from Maria, who leafed through her book. _She's not seriously reading a phone book is she? _

Miles crossed his arms and tapped his finger, beginning to feel impatient. He heard a door open behind him, followed by a man saying, "Edgeworth, there you are!"

Miles stood up when a man sporting a blue suit and spiky black hair walked over and shook his hand. He noticed Maria and smiled. "So Edgeworth, who's your friend?"

Maria looked up and said, "Maria Coldstare, and you?"

"Phoenix Wright, nice to meet you," Phoenix said and slipped his hands into his pockets, giving him a laidback appearance.

Maria regarded Phoenix abrasively. "Phoenix Wright, wait weren't you disbarred for forging evidence?"

Miles winced, he had been afraid of this. He bit his lip and glanced at the defense attorney. Phoenix's smile flickered, but then he almost looked proud. "Yep, but it was later discovered that those accusations were false. But enough about me, so what have you been falsely accused of?"

Phoenix pulled out a chair and sat down, ready to listen. Maria glimpsed at Miles, who tilted his head and smiled nervously. He suddenly wanted to bang his head against a wall. Or Phoenix's. _"Yeah, I was charged with forging evidence," he says. "So what have you been falsely accused of?" Come on!_

"Just how do you know Edgeworth?" Maria said.

"I've known Edgey since we were nine," Phoenix said and pat Miles on the back. "We were in the same fourth grade class."

"Please don't call me 'Edgey,' Wright," Miles said, exasperated. _You're trying to humiliate me, aren't you Wright?_

"So how do you know Edgeworth, Ms. Coldstare?" Phoenix said, ignoring Miles.

"I'm a prosecutor, our offices neighbor each other," Maria said.

"Neat. So anyway, why were you arrested?" Phoenix said.

"I was arrested for murder," Maria said.

Phoenix nodded, "Alright. It's a rule of mine to ask, did you do it?"

"Trust me, Wright. She wouldn't kill someone on accident," Miles said.

"Logically, I might have to disagree with you on the 'accident' part, Edgeworth," Maria said. Her arms were crossed, and she was tapping her book against her arm.

Phoenix watched her with a curious expression on his face.

"What?" Maria said.

"Oh sorry, it's nothing. You just reminded me of someone for a second, but I can't place who. Forget about it," Phoenix said. "So you are innocent?"

"I assure you I didn't kill anyone."

Phoenix smiled. "Alright, I'll defend you."

"Really? You believe me?" Maria said, not expecting it to be so easy.

"Should I not believe you?" Phoenix said, jokingly. "I've learned how to tell when people are lying. Besides, Edgeworth certainly seems to trust you. Would you mind telling me what you know? Like why you were arrested."

Maria looked away and rubbed her arm. "Well, I was at the scene of the murder at the time."

Miles widened his eyes, "Then you witnessed the murder?"

"More or less, it was dark outside. The victim was shot from far away, so I didn't see who fired the gun. However I was nearby the victim, so I know he was shot from behind. Also, I saw a person, presumably the killer, appear and burn the corpse. Then I was assaulted and strangled with my neckerchief, so I didn't leave the scene until the police arrived and took me away," Maria said conversationally, toying with her book.

_She went through all that, only to be arrested. Yet she looks so composed. Then again, she's not one to show weakness. _Seeing Maria act so strong, Miles was even more determined to find out who the culprit was.

"You've been through a lot," Phoenix said.

"I can't say it was pleasant, but I'm fine," Maria said.

"I see, so why were you there anyway? The scene of the murder," Phoenix said.

"I was invited there by a person related to one of my cases, I don't feel comfortable revealing anymore than that unless it is necessary."

Phoenix thought for a minute and then nodded his head. "I guess I can understand that, should be enough for the court at any rate. So where is this crime scene?"

"The Oak Shade Garden, have you heard of it?"

"I think I have, actually. That's the one with the giant tree, right?"

"That would be correct."

"Perfect, that's not too far away. Thank-you Ms. Coldstare," Phoenix said, standing up.

"You're the one representing me, Mr. Wright," Maria said.

"Right, so I'd better start investigating," Phoenix said and started walking away.

Maria turned to Miles, "I should thank you for introducing me to your friend, Edgeworth."

A small smile appeared on his face as Miles said, "I'm glad things worked out. Wright will get you found not guilty, I assure you."

Maria went back to her cell and Miles caught up with Phoenix outside the Detention Center.

"You seem pretty confident that Ms. Coldstare is innocent," Phoenix commented.

Miles shrugged. "I can't fathom her killing someone. Even out of pure hatred, she's too rational."

"Good to hear," Phoenix said.

"Say, Wright," Miles said. "Do you need some… assistance with your investigation?"

Phoenix's eyes widened. "Are you offering to help?"

"I can't just leave this alone; I need to find the truth to this. But I can't be the prosecutor for the trial. Honestly, I don't really want to and even if I did there's already a prosecutor assigned to the case. So yes, if it's okay with you I'd like to help."

Phoenix stared at Miles with a dumbfounded expression. Then he smiled approvingly. "Sure, it's always good to have an extra pair of eyes. Plus you have a driver's license."

Miles smirked, "Glad to be of assistance."

Phoenix scratched his chin, scanning the prosecutor up and down. "Hmm, being a prosecutor you're fairly recognizable. We'll have to fix that, just to be safe."

Miles didn't like that way he said that.


	14. Chapter 14

Phoenix looked at Miles in a way that made him nervous. The defense attorney reached out and in one fluid motion, undid the prosecutor's cravat and took it off.

"Hey!" Miles exclaimed. "Give that back!"

"Later," Phoenix said. "Look if you saw, I don't know, Prosecutor Payne walking around a crime scene you were investigating, that would seem weird right?"

"Maybe a little, but this is ridiculous," Miles said, abashed.

"Alright, I'm sorry," Phoenix said, putting his hands up. "Now take your jacket off."

"Are you planning on taking everything off?"

"No. Come on, it's not like I'm asking you to jump off a bridge."

_I guess he didn't ask for me to come along. _Miles sighed and took his burgundy jacket off. "Better?"

"Still too recognizable. You might want to take off your vest too."

"You know this isn't going to help," Miles said and undid his vest. He put his jacket and his vest in the back of his car.

"Yeah, you still look too much like… you," Phoenix said. He licked his hand and approached Miles.

Flashbacks from childhood class picture days entered his mind and Miles knew what Phoenix was thinking. "Wright, this is really- hey!"

Phoenix rubbed the hand he had licked over Miles's head and used the other arm to keep him still. Miles struggled, but Phoenix had a strong grip.

"Would you stop that already?" Miles said.

"Just hold still," Phoenix said and licked his hand again.

Finally, Phoenix let go and Miles pushed away. He was about to undo whatever the demented attorney had done to his hair, then he remembered what was holding it in place and put his hands down. He crossed his arms and glared at Phoenix. "What was that for?"

"I had to change your hair. Now no one will recognize you. See for yourself," Phoenix said and moved a side view mirror to face Miles.

The prosecutor looked at his reflection and raised his eyebrow. His "M" bangs that normally framed his face were slicked back over his head. Miles stepped back and saw that he was only wearing his white dress shirt and burgundy pants.

"I feel half-dressed," Miles said.

"Technically you are, but no one will know that," Phoenix said.

Miles didn't really think anyone would buy it, but he didn't want to encourage Phoenix. "If you say so."

"Alright," Phoenix said. "Let's get going."

"Are you sure you want to take my car? I'd hate for someone to recognize it," Miles said sarcastically.

Phoenix scratched his chin again. "That's a good point."

Miles sighed. "We'll park from a distance."

It was a short drive, so Miles and Phoenix soon saw the yellow police tape surrounding Oak Shade Garden. They entered the crime scene and looked around. The garden, naturally, had various plants and flowers living in patches of soil, broken off by an intersecting cobblestone path. Surrounding the area was a grove of trees. Straight ahead Miles could see a clear plastic tent of sorts.

Phoenix saw it too. "I wonder what that's there for."

Before Miles could say anything, a gruff voice caught his attention. "Hey, pal, what are you doing here?"

Detective Gumshoe ran over to the attorneys and smiles when he saw Phoenix. "Hey, Mr. Wright. Are you Ms. Coldstare's lawyer?"

Phoenix nodded. "Yep, I-"

"Wait a minute," Gumshoe interrupted. He stared at Miles, who was trying to appear indifferent. "Mr. Edgeworth?"

Miles bit his lip. Then he glared at Phoenix. _After all that, it took the detective fifteen seconds._ Phoenix, knowing what the glare was for, shrugged.

"Gumshoe's different, he knows you better than anyone else here," Phoenix said.

"Mr. Edgeworth, what are you doing here? You're not the prosecution, sir," Gumshoe said.

Miles sighed. "No, I'm not."

"Two heads are better than one, you know. So Edgeworth is helping me out," Phoenix said.

"Wow," Gumshoe said. "So this is a disguise then?"

"Yes, if anyone asks, this is my… assistant…. Beckett."

"Really?" Miles said. "A fake name too?"

"Well if we went around telling everyone your name was Edgeworth it would kind of countercheck the disguise," Phoenix said.

_I'm not having this conversation. _"So about the murder," Miles said.

"Oh yeah, would you like to see the autopsy?" Gumshoe said.

"Sure," Phoenix said.

The detective gave them a file detailing the victim's death. "The victim's name was Seth Aflame. He was shot. They recovered the bullet, more or less. After the victim was shot, someone poured on kerosene and lit the body on fire," Gumshoe shivered. "That was anything but pretty, pal. And it was difficult identifying him, but he wasn't burned everywhere on the inside so we used DNA tests."

Phoenix skimmed the autopsy. "It says here Seth was shot 'somewhere in the back.'"

"Somewhere?" Miles said.

"The body was burned pretty badly, it changed the bullet hole. So we don't know exactly where he was shot. We do know that the bullet punctured his right lung, because that's where the bullet was found," Gumshoe said.

"What about the murder weapon?" Phoenix said.

"We found a pistol. The bullet kind of melted, so we can't use ballistic markings to confirm it, but it was fired recently. And Ms. Coldstare's fingerprints are on it," Gumshoe said.

"Of course they are," Phoenix said, deflated.

"Detective, just why is there a tent in the middle of the path?" Miles said.

"That's what we're using to preserve the scene of the murder. The victim was burned, so naturally there are some ashes scattered around. We can't have anything blowing anyway in the wind," Gumshoe said.

The three men walked over to the small tent. When Miles got closer he realized it barely reached his kneecaps. Phoenix knelt down for a closer look. Under the little tent covered a white tape outline of how the body was found. Burn marks blacken the cobblestone inside and outside the line. Right next to where the feet were traced, there was a blood stain with an unusual pattern embedded.

"Is that a shoe print?" Miles said, pointing to the bloodstain.

"Yeah, Seth Aflame was standing there when he was shot and burned. The fire even melted the soles of his tennis shoes a bit, so we've got a really nice print," Gumshoe said.

"Hey, Detective! Come over here!" shouted one of the officers.

"Coming, pal!" Gumshoe shouted back. He looked at the attorneys. "Go ahead and look around, I gotta go. Later," with that, he ran off.

Phoenix stood up and turned himself to match the direction of the shoe print. "So the victim was standing like this," He turned around and scanned the area, "Meaning the shooter was somewhere around here."

"Are there photos in the autopsy? They might help narrow down the possibilities," Miles said.

"I think there are, let's see," Phoenix pulled out a photo, "Nngh."

Miles looked over Phoenix's shoulder and saw a photograph of the victim. Scorch marks plagued the victim's back, along with a hole. "Is that the entry wound from the bullet?" Miles said. It didn't really look like a bullet wound, but it was the only possibility.

"Must be," said Phoenix. He held the photo over the small tent. "So he was like this when he was shot. That doesn't really tell us anything, though."

Miles looked at the wound. It had obviously been burned and disfigured when the victim was set on fire, but the wound stayed on the right side of his back. He sorted through the information he had gathered so far, and eventually something clicked. "Are you sure, Wright?"

Phoenix looked at the prosecutor and noticed his smirk. "What did you figure out?"

"The bullet was found in the victim's right lung, which from behind would be on the left side. So the bullet entered the right side of the victim's back, but ended inside the lung on the left side. Meaning he was shot from an angle."

"Hey, you're right," Phoenix said. He looked at the photo again. "The entry wound his above the lung too, so the shooter was up high."

"Good point," Miles said. He calculated the estimated direction of the bullet and pointed his finger. "Let's see what's over there."

Miles and Phoenix walked over the spot Miles had pointed out, which was the edge of the garden.

"I guess there are plenty of trees to climb," Miles said.

"Yeah, but the limbs look a bit thin to stand on," Phoenix said. He ventured into the grove, scouting the area. Miles followed him.

They didn't get too far when Phoenix said, "I think this wound be a bit more stable."

Miles caught up with Phoenix, who was standing in front of a concrete garden shed with a flat roof. It was the same height as the trees.

"Could you get to the victim from there?" Miles said.

"Let's find out," Phoenix said and tried to open the door. It was locked, however.

"Maybe someone with the police has a key?" Phoenix said.

"There might not be a way up there from the inside," Miles said. He walked over to the side of the shed and found a few things lying around outside. "Why don't we use this ladder?"

Phoenix joined him and looked at the ladder. "Actually, that's a stepladder."

"Same thing," Miles said.

"There's a difference, trust me."

"A ladder is a ladder, Wright. It doesn't matter."

"I'm just saying you should use the proper title. It just makes sense."

"Makes sense? It's a ladder!"

"You mean a stepladder."

"No, actually I don't!" This was beginning to get on Miles' nerves.

"What? You don't believe me?" Phoenix said, also getting worked up.

"It doesn't matter," Miles glared at him.

Phoenix took out his phone and set up a video chat. A minute later, a young man's face appeared on the screen. "Mr. Wright? What do you need?"

"Apollo, look at this stepladder for me," Phoenix said and positioned the phone's camera to face the shed.

"Stepladder? It's just a ladder," Apollo said.

"See?" Miles said.

"Not you too!" Phoenix said.

"Mr. Wright, you have to look past all the trivial stuff, at the essence of the thing," Apollo explained.

Miles raised his eyebrow; that was taking it a bit deeper than he had been thinking.

"At its essence, it's a stepladder," Phoenix said.

"You mean ladder," Apollo said.

"No, it's a stepladder, there's a difference."

Miles heard a female voice come from the phone. "Hey, Polly. Who are you talking too?" A girl appeared on the screen next to Apollo. "Hi, Daddy!" It was Phoenix's daughter, Trucy Wright.

"Trucy, thank goodness. Could you please explain to these people that this is a stepladder, not a ladder?"

"Well duh, of course it's a stepladder," Trucy said.

"Trucy, we've been over this. It's just a ladder," Apollo said.

"Polly, when are you going to learn? Ladders and stepladders are two completely different things," Trucy said.

"What has your father done to you?" Apollo said.

"He taught me the difference between a ladder and stepladder."

"There is no difference!"

"Yes, there is," Phoenix and Trucy said at the same time.

"I am surrounded by crazy people," Apollo said.

"Informed people," Phoenix said.

"Come on Polly, think about it. Is a mother the same thing as a stepmother?" Trucy said.

"Are you seriously comparing ladders to mothers?" Apollo said.

"She has a point. A stepmother is a mother, but a mother is not a stepmother. Same goes for ladders and stepladders," Phoenix said.

"Are you done yet?" Miles said; leaning against the extension ladder he had set up while they were talking.

"So it's not a stepladder," Apollo said, triumphantly.

"But it's not just a regular ladder, either," Trucy said.

"Are we ever going to use it?" Miles said, frustrated by the pointless discussion.

"Alright, calm down," Phoenix said. "I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Bye Daddy!" Trucy said.

"Bye Mr. Wright," Apollo said and ended the video chat.

Miles looked up at the ladder, feeling nervous. He had almost been tempted to let them continue their ladder debate, he hated heights. But they had a job to do, and Miles was determined not to let that silly anxiety of his get in the way of it. He put his foot on the first rung and hesitated. _Just get it over with, Miles._

Before he could argue with himself, he climbed up the ladder as quickly as he could and stepped onto the roof. He took a deep breath and sneezed.


	15. Chapter 15

"Achoo!" Miles said, feeling his eyes get watery. "Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

"Bless you," Phoenix said as he stepped onto the roof.

Miles looked around and saw that the roof doubled as a flower garden. Everything was coated in a yellow dust. "Achoo!" Miles sneezed, and then broke into fit of coughs.

"Edgeworth, don't you have pollen allergies?" Phoenix said, worry in his voice. "Like, really bad?"

Miles responded with another coughing fit.

"That's not good. Oh, I got it!" Phoenix reached into his pocket and pulled out a white cloth. "Take that! Breathe through this,"

Miles recognized it as the cravat Phoenix had swiped from him. Still coughing, he took the cravat and covered his mouth and nose. His eyes still watered, but he managed to calm his breathing. "Ugh, thanks Wright," he said, his voice muffled by the cloth.

"Don't mention it," Phoenix said. A couples trees were all that separated them from the garden pathways. He peered over the edge of the roof, "We are really high up," he said and took a step back.

"Can you see where the victim was shot?" Miles said, not even getting close to the edge.

Phoenix scanned the area until he spotted a little plastic tent. "Looks like a clear shot to me."

Miles nodded his head and examined the rooftop, treading carefully to avoid kicking up pollen. He never seen so much of it in one place before, it was like it had snowed. _I'm even leaving tracks. _Miles looked around the roof and saw everyplace he and Phoenix had been. He looked harder and saw prints with a light pollen dusting. _Is new pollen already covering our tracks? _

"Wright, stop moving for a second," Miles said from behind his cravat.

Phoenix stopped, "What?"

"I'm not sure that all of these tracks are ours," Miles said. Phoenix walked over to Miles, watching his step, and focused on the fainter prints.

"They do look a little different. You follow them to where they start, and I'll see where they lead."

"Alright," Miles said. He followed the shoeprints around, carefully tiptoeing to avoid overlapping a print with his own. He heard Phoenix make a noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, but he decided to give the defense attorney the benefit of the doubt and say it was a cough.

Tracking the prints grew more difficult as he went on, but Miles managed to follow them to their beginning. "There was definitely a person here before us. These shoeprints start somewhere completely different."

"Maybe the shooter?" Phoenix said, looking up from his own tracks.

"Well, it could have been a gardener. Or perhaps a police officer came here before us," Miles said, starting to wonder if this lead was a waste of time.

"Let's see where they go to," Phoenix said and resumed trailing the shoeprints.

Miles looked around to see if there was anything to tie the prints to the murder. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Miles walked over to a flowerbed and picked up a pair of black boots. The soles, however, were stained yellow.

Miles went over to Phoenix, who was standing next to a wooden crate, and showed him the boots. "Any ideas about why someone would throw these in a flowerbed?"

Phoenix looked at the boots. "I wonder…" he trailed off. The defense attorney took one of the boots and gently pressed it on the floor next to an old print. He lifted the boot and compared the two impressions.

"It looks like a match," Miles said.

"Yeah, and I don't think a gardener or an officer would throw these in a flowerbed," Phoenix said, kneeling down to get a closer look. He suddenly turned his head. "What's this?"

Phoenix looked behind the crate and took out a lantern covered with pollen. He held it out and examined it. He twisted the lantern around, causing a cloud of pollen to get in Miles' face and on his cravat.

"Achoo!" Miles sneezed and pulled the cloth away. The convulsions were forceful enough to jerk his slicked back bangs forward again. "Achoo!"

Phoenix impulsively backed away and dropped the lantern in surprise. "Sorry, bless you."

"Thanks," Miles coughed and put his sleeve to his face. He bent down and picked up the lantern, which thankfully had landed upright. "And be careful, you almost broke it."

Just as he said that, the base of the lantern fell off. Phoenix put his hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly. "I think that part is detachable."

"At least no fuel came out," Miles said, aloof.

"Yeah, it must be empty," Phoenix said and picked up the fallen piece. He looked at it with a curious expression on his face. "Edgeworth, I don't think this belongs here."

"What makes you say that?"

Phoenix showed Miles what was written on the bottom of the lantern. "Property of L'ubriaco Bar and Grill," the prosecutor read. "Where is that?"

"I have no idea," Phoenix said.

"Strange, what is it doing here?" Miles said.

"Beats me, someone must have brought it here," Phoenix said. He snapped the lantern part back on, for it truly was detachable, and wisps of pollen got in both of their eyes. Phoenix rubbed his tearing eyes with his sleeve. Miles did the same, unfortunately with the sleeve that had been shielding his mouth and nose. He inhaled some pollen and broke into a series of coughs.

"I think we've seen everything there is to find. Let's get you out of here," Phoenix said.

They swiftly climbed down the ladder and put it back where they had found it. Miles took a deep breath and took in nothing but fresh air. He dusted himself off and his breathing calmed down. _I hope we don't have to go back there. Of all the places, the killer went for the rooftop coated with pollen. _Miles licked his hand and slicked his hair back before Phoenix realized it had returned to normal.

Phoenix and Miles walked back to the crime scene and found Detective Gumshoe investigating.

"Hey, there you guys are," Gumshoe said when he noticed the attorneys. "Where were you?"

"Investigating the garden shed," Phoenix said. "The roof to be precise."

"The roof? Did you use a ladder or something?"

Miles gripped Phoenix's shoulder. "Yes, but that's not important right now. Detective, I was wondering if you could help with something."

"What do you need, sir?"

Miles looked at Phoenix; then presented the lantern, still covered with pollen. "I was wondering if there were any clues on this lantern, fingerprints for example."

"I can get some tests done on this. Might take a while, but I'll start right away, sir," Gumshoe said. He took the lantern and walked away.

"Well that was helpful," Phoenix said. "What now?"

Miles shrugged. "I guess you tell me, you're the defense attorney. Detective Gumshoe said the tests would take some time."

"Maybe we should look for that Lubricated Bar."

"You mean L'ubriaco?"

"Yeah, that's it. Where would we find that place?"

The prosecutor shrugged again. "How should I know?"

"Hmm," Phoenix took out his phone hit speed dial number 1.

"Hello?" said a voice on speaker.

"Apollo, Phoenix again. Could you look something up for me?"

"What do you need?"

"Can you find out where the... Loony Rocko Bar is?"

"It's L'ubriaco! You're doing that on purpose," Miles huffed.

Phoenix grinned.

"L'ubriaco, huh? Just give me a minute," there was a faint clicking sound in the background. "Found it. L'ubriaco Bar and Grill; located on scenic Willower Street."

"Willower Street?" Phoenix said, frowning. "Isn't that street nicknamed 'Widower Street'?"

"That's the place."


	16. Chapter 16

The sky seemed gloomier when Phoenix and Miles walked onto Willower Street. On both sides of the road were various shops and pubs made of brick. No matter where you looked there was either litter or graffiti. _Cheerful place, _Miles thought dryly.

"Where is everybody?" Miles asked, noticed the only other person around was the defense attorney next to him.

"Inside working probably. This place isn't exactly thriving," Phoenix said. "I'm surprised you've never been here, Edgeworth."

"Why would I come here?"

Phoenix jerked his head to the alley they were walking across. It was blocked off with police tape.

"Oh," Miles said.

They walked down the road, checking every storefront sign. On the corner, a red neon sign read "L'ubriaco." The two attorneys stepped inside the building and were assaulted with the overpowering smell of alcohol. It was enough to make Miles flinch.

"Just act like a customer," Phoenix whispered and took a seat at the bar.

Miles sat next to him and looked around. There wasn't much business at this time of day, just a couple other people playing cards. Arranged on the wall in front of Miles was an assortment of drinks. A gruff bartender came by and Phoenix ordered two grape juices.

Miles drank from his glass absentmindedly, looking for anything that might give them a lead. A woman with crimson hair and a glass in her hand took the stool next to Phoenix.

"Hey there," she said.

"Oh, hello," Phoenix said.

"Name's Scarlet, never seen you two here before," Scarlet said and drained her glass.

"Phoenix. Are you a regular?" Phoenix said.

"You got that right; I know the family that runs this old joint."

"Really?"

"Yeah, so why'd you come to L'ubriaco?"

Phoenix shrugged. "Why not, I guess."

"Good answer. So who's Chatterbox?" Scarlet pointed to Miles, who hadn't really been paying attention to the conversation.

"Miles Edgeworth," the prosecutor said.

"That's better," Scarlet said.

"So, Ms. Scarlet, is this bar very old?" Miles said.

"Well, it's been around longer than me. But I wouldn't call it ancient or anything."

"I see; so is this the only location?"

"Yeah, but that makes it one of a kind right?"

"I suppose it does."

"What kind of crowd does this place draw?" Phoenix said.

Scarlet shrugged. "It varies."

She turned to the bartender. "Hey, Val! Refill!"

The bartender filled a glass he had been polishing and handed it to Scarlet. She took an appreciative sip.

"Say Scarlet, don't you need to be somewhere?" the bartender, Val, said.

"I got some time, don't worry about it," Scarlet said.

Val shrugged and went over to a different customer.

"Ah, he's such a stickler. I don't need to be anywhere for another hour," Scarlet said.

"Do you have an appointment with someone?" Miles said.

"I guess you could say that. I'm a witness for a trial and they want me at the police station later today."

"Why are you a witness?" Phoenix said.

"Because I witnessed something, duh!"

"Of course. I figured as much," Phoenix said, looking at his glass.

"Sorry, can't say more than that," Scarlet said and took a sip of her drink.

"Right."

Scarlet put her head back and downed the rest of her drink. "I probably should go, before Val starts giving me that look. Maybe I'll see you guys around here again."

Miles shrugged. _I doubt it._

Scarlet left the bar, leaving Phoenix and Miles alone. They sat there in silence, just looking around the bar. Phoenix leaned over to Miles. "Hey, Edgeworth, what were we hoping to find here again?"

"I'm not sure, honestly," Miles sighed. "I think this was a dead end."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. I might have enough information already. At the least I could give Ms. Coldstare another day."

"I suppose that will have to be enough for now," Miles said. He hated leaving an investigation incomplete, but there weren't any more leads to follow. Extending the trial would give them more time, not to mention more information.

They paid for their drinks and left the bar. Miles still couldn't shake the feeling of defeat. He thought of Maria, alone in the detention center. _Hang in there, Coldstare. _

In the defendants lobby, Phoenix and Maria were discussing the upcoming trial.

"So, is there anything else you should tell me?" Phoenix said.

"I've told you all I know. I'm afraid I won't be of any help," Maria said. She was tapping a book against her crossed arms.

"You're fine, I'm sorry you got caught up in this mess."

"Don't apologize; it isn't your fault that I was arrested."

"True, but still."

"Are you prepared for the trial?"

"Of course. I even have an aide. Should be here soon."

Just then, Miles stepped into the lobby.

"Edgeworth?" Maria said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll be watching the trial from the gallery. I thought I'd come by to wish you luck," Miles said.

"You don't have to wish me luck; Mr. Wright is the attorney for this trial."

Miles smirked. "What makes you so sure I wasn't talking about Wright in the first place?"

"You were answering a question I asked. Ergo you were talking to me."

"What if I was referring to both of you?"

"Then you were still referring to me in part. And like I said, I don't need luck. I don't really do anything, I'm just the defendant."

"Well then you definitely need a little luck on your side."

"Luck won't get me anywhere, Edgeworth. It's just a silly superstition."

"For a silly superstition, you sure are adamant about declining it."

"You speak of luck as if it is a material thing."

"I never said that."

"Your wording implied it."

Phoenix just watched the prosecutors go back and forth. They didn't seem to be mad at each other; it was like a casual debate. He wasn't sure if he should intervene or not.

"Sorry I'm late! This courtroom is like a maze sometimes," a youthful voice said, interrupting Miles and Maria's "conversation."

Blue cape fluttering, a teenage girl bounced into the room. A blue silk hat topped her asymmetrical brunette hair. She stopped in front of Phoenix, an eager smile on her face.

"At least you made it on time," Phoenix clapped his hands together. "Alright, time for some introductions. Trucy, this is Ms. Coldstare. Ms. Coldstare this is Trucy, my daughter."

Trucy extended her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Maria shook the young girl's hand. "Nice to meet you too. Are you, by chance, the aide your father mentioned?"

"Yep. I'm also a magician," Trucy said, beaming.

"A magician?" Maria said.

Trucy nodded her head. "My assistant and I do shows all the time."

"You have an assistant?"

Suddenly, a tall wooden figure appeared next to Trucy, wearing her hat. Maria recoiled, "Que diable?"

"Hello there, dah-ling. I'm Mr. Hat," the wooden figure said.

Maria just stared at Mr. Hat, a stunned expression on her face. "Hello."

"Mr. Hat is amazing. He once shot an elephant in his pajamas," Trucy said.

"How he got into them I'll never know," Mr. Hat said.

Maria glanced at Miles, who buried his face in his palm. "Mr. Hat" really needed to work on his material. It was falling apart at the seams.

A court bailiff stuck his head through the door, completely unaware of the lifeline he was throwing. "Mr. Wright, the trial is about to start."

"Great," Phoenix said. "Trucy, I think Mr. Hat needs to go."

"Okay, Daddy," Trucy said. As quickly as he had arrived, Mr. Hat disappeared from sight.

"I should go find a seat in the gallery," Miles said. "I'll see you later."

Miles left the defendant's room, and Phoenix smiled at Maria. "Ready to go?"

"Of course I am," Maria said.

"Okay then, let's get to the courtroom."


	17. Chapter 17

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Phoenix said from behind the defense bench.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Chief Prosecutor Brume said from the opposing bench.

_Wow, I've never gone against a Chief Prosecutor before. _Brume was definitely senior to Phoenix, but she still had an elegant charm to her. She wore a pristine white business dress and an amethyst necklace. Her voluminous cadet grey hair was pushed out of her face with a thin headband.

"Very well. Chief Prosecutor Brume, your opening statement?" the judge said.

"Yes,Your Honor. A man by the name of Seth Aflame was recently murdered in the Oak Shade Garden. He was shot from a distance, and then set on fire to cover the killer's tracks. However, we are positive that the bullet entered his shoulder and pierced his lung. There were two witnesses that were there at the time of the murder. Also at the scene was none other than the defendant, Prosecutor Maria Coldstare," Brume said.

The spectators of the gallery began talking amongst themselves at the mention of the defendant's occupation. A district attorney being accused for murder was a big deal. The judge hit his gavel on the podium to silence the crowd.

"You say there were two witnesses?" the judge said. "Will you be calling them to the stand?"

"Yes, Your Honor, but first I'd like the call the detective in charge of the investigation," Brume said.

Detective Gumshoe was soon behind the witness stand. Brumes faced him, "Name and occupation."

"Detective Gumshoe of Criminal Affairs," Gumshoe said.

"Detective Gumshoe, please testify to the court about your investigation and the arrest of the defendant."

Testimony

_We received a call reporting a gunshot at the garden._

_When we got there, we found the defendant by the victim._

_There was a gun found at the scene bearing Ms. Coldstare's fingerprints, which had been fired twice._

_The victim was burned pretty badly, but the shoeprints he left tell us exactly where he was when he died._

_Also, we know he was shot from behind and from a distance._

"This all sounds rather conclusive. Mr. Wright, you may begin your cross-examination," the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Phoenix said.

Cross-Examination

_We received a call reporting a gunshot at the garden._

_When we got there, we found the defendant nearby the victim._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "What was the defendant like at the time?"

Gumshoe considered his answer, looking pretty deep in thought. "Well, she might have been a little more disoriented at the time. But nothing noticeably different."

"That makes sense," Trucy whispered to Phoenix. "You said she was strangled, right?"

"Yeah, with her neckerchief. That's what she told me," Phoenix muttered. Louder, he said, "Was there anything physically different about her? Maybe the way she was dressed?"

"I don't think so. She was dressed exactly the same way now as she was found at the crime scene,"  
Gumshoe said.

_There was a gun found at the scene bearing Ms. Coldstare's fingerprints, which had been fired twice._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "From which hand were the fingerprints?"

"The right hand," Gumshoe said.

"Objection!" Brume said. "This is a pointless argument! The defendant is right-handed. Just look her."

All eyes turned to Maria in the defendant's chair. She had a book in her left hand. Phoenix smirked.

"I'm ambidextrous, actually," Maria said.

Phoenix's shoulders sagged. _Well, that was deflating._

_The victim was burned pretty badly, but the shoeprints he left tell us exactly where he was when he died._

_Also, we know he was shot from behind and from a distance._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "Where was he shot from, exactly?"

"Exactly? Hard to say, but probably somewhere on the path behind the victim. Maybe hiding in one of the flowerbeds," Gumshoe said.

"Your Honor, I request that this be added to the testimony," Phoenix said.

"Very well," the judge said. "Witness, revise your testimony with this new statement."

"Yes, Your Honor," Gumshoe said.

_The killer would have been standing behind the victim, probably on the garden path._

"Objection!" Phoenix said. He had been waiting for this. "Look at this photo in the autopsy report! The bullet wound is damaged, but you can estimate that the bullet's entry wound was on the top right side of the victim's back, maybe around the shoulder. Said bullet was found in the lung on the victim's left."

"Objection!" Brume said. "I was told it was the right lung!"

Phoenix swung his head sideways. "That was a perspective mistake. From where you are right now, my left lung is on your right. Now, the entry wound is also above the lung, meaning that the killer shot from an angle above the victim!"

"What?" Prosecutor Brume's headband came off, and her hair puffed out as if it had been charged with electricity.

"I guess she wasn't expecting that," Trucy said, noting the distraught look on the Chief Prosecutor's face.

Brume quickly regained her composure and slammed her hands on her desk. "Where would the killer have been, then?"

Phoenix presented a pair of black boots. "These boots were found on the roof of the garden shed, thrown into a flower bed. As you can see, the soles are covered in pollen. Pollen was everywhere on the roof, and someone recently left tracks that matched these boots. The defense proposes that the shooter was on the roof!"

"Objection!" Brume said. "Perhaps the shooter was there at the time, but you have yet to prove that the defendant was not on the roof at the time!"

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "Look at the defendant; she has no pollen on her!"

"Objection!" Brume said. "What if she was wearing the boots that were found on the roof? And let's not forget the probability of any pollen being washed off!"

"Gak!" Phoenix was caught off guard by the counter. He didn't know how to respond.

"Your Honor, if the defense has no further objections, I'd like to call my next witness," Brume said.

"The defense has no objections, Your Honor," Phoenix said, because he really couldn't think of any. _I thought I had that one!_

"Alright then, Chief Prosecutor Brume you may call your next witness," said the judge.

Minutes later, a young man with surprisingly snow white hair dressed in black was on the stand.

"Witness, state you name and occupation," Brume said.

"Gary Frank, I'm a college student. But I also tutor third graders as a job," Gary said.

"Very well, Mr. Frank. Please testify to the court what you witnessed the day of the murder." Brume said.

Testimony

_I was walking past the garden at about 10:30 at night._

_As I was walking, I heard the sound of a gun being fired._

_Then I immediately called the police._

"That was a rather short testimony," the judge commented.

"I like to keep things simple," Gary said.

"I think vague would be a better word here," Phoenix muttered.

"Press him for details then," Trucy said.

"M. Wright, your may cross-examine the witness," said the judge.

Cross-Examination

_I was walking past the garden at about 10:30 at night._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "Why were you out so late at night?"

"I ended up tutoring a kid who lives on the other side of town from me until dinnertime. Then I had to walk home because there were no buses to take me."

"Quite a bit of bad luck, there," Trucy said.

"Tell me about it. Anyway…"

_As I was walking, I heard a gun being fired._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "Did you see anyone in the garden?"

"I'm afraid not. It was dark out, and I wasn't actually in the garden," Gary said.

"Did you see anything in the garden?"

"Honestly, no. I just heard that one gunshot."

"The defense requests that last statement be added to the testimony."

The judge nodded his head. "Alright. Witness?"

_I was near the front gate, but all I "witnessed" was the one gunshot._

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "You only heard one gunshot?"

"Yes," Gary said.

"But this gun was fired twice!" Phoenix said.

"Twice?" Gary said.

Phoenix slammed his hands on his desk. "On top of that, you have yet to even mention the fire the victim burned in!"

"Fire?" Gary said, shocked.

"Objection!" Brume said. "There is a simple explanation for all of this. I request the witness testify again."

The judge considered it for a moment. "Request granted. Witness, testify as to why you missed the second gunshot and the fire."

"Yes, Your Honor," Gary said.

Testimony

_When I heard the first gunshot, I was surprised to say at the least._

_My phone was dead, so I ran across the street and found a restaurant that was still open to use theirs._

_I watched the gate from inside the restaurant, but I didn't hear or see anything else._

"Precisely," Brume said. "There was some foliage behind the front gate, which blocked his view of the fire. And since he was inside calling the police, Mr. Frank would not have heard the second gunshot either."

"That makes sense," Phoenix said to his daughter. "What do you think?"

"I think he's telling the truth, Daddy," Trucy said.

"Does the defense wish to cross-examine the witness?" the judge asked.

"The defense accepts the testimony as truth," Phoenix said. "However, that means no one actually saw the murder. With all due respect to Mr. Frank, I question why he was brought to the stand in the first place."

"The very fact that Mr. Frank didn't see anything is what made him so important," Brume said. "He stated quite clearly that he watched the gate and didn't see anything. Which means he didn't see _anyone_ enter or exit the garden."

Phoenix felt himself break into a cold sweat. "Oh."

"Now that that's cleared up, I would like to call my next witness," Brume said.

"You have another witness?" the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor. And this person will prove that it was the defendant that killed the victim!"

"Very well. But before hearing the witness, this court will take a 20 minute recess," the judge said and banged his gavel.

**_Chief Prosecutor Brume, what do you have up your sleeve? Writing for trials is admittedly tougher, I actually respect Capcom even more for what they've done! Also, it just occurred to me that I never wrote a disclaimer. I don't own Ace Attorney, by the way. I didn't during the last 16 chapter either, but Maria and Brume were my ideas. Not that I'd sue anyone about it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, read and review! _**


	18. Chapter 18

"So Ms. Coldstare, any ideas about what this witness will say?" Phoenix said when they were in the defendant's lobby.

Maria was standing next to the couch in the lobby reading a book. "I can't be entirely sure, but I'm sure it will sound very convincing. Chief Prosecutor Brume is a sharp woman."

"How long has she been the Chief?" Trucy asked.

"I don't know exactly how long. I've only been a district attorney here for a few months. But she's been Chief for a few years now, a little less than a decade maybe," Maria said, still not looking up from her book.

Phoenix nodded his head. "Sounds like an experienced prosecutor."

Phoenix and Trucy turned their heads when the door opened and Detective Gumshoe stepped in.

"Gumshoe? What are you doing here?" Phoenix said.

Gumshoe brought a lantern lightly coated in pollen. "Forensics just finished analyzing this."

Phoenix smiled and took the lantern. "That's right. Thanks Gumshoe. What did they find?"

"Unfortunately, not much. Someone wiped off any fingerprints. They did some other tests too, but all they found was traces of kerosene."

"That must be what fueled the lantern," Phoenix said.

"Probably. Will this be of any help?" Gumshoe said.

Trucy beamed at the detective, standing on her toes. "I just know it will! We owe you one, Detective Gumshoe."

Gumshoe grinned at the young girl's charming enthusiasm. "Don't mention it. I should head out, see you later," Detective Gumshoe walked out the door.

Maria turned to the next page of her book. "So there was a kerosene lantern?"

"Yep. It was on the rooftop of the garden shed," Phoenix said. He looked at his watch. "The trial's going to restart soon. Ready to go?"

"Let's do it, Daddy!" Trucy said.

A few minutes later, Phoenix and Trucy were once again standing behind the defense's bench. The judge pounded his gavel to silence the courtroom.

"Court is back in session. I believe the prosecution was going to summon another witness," the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Brume said.

Shortly afterwards, Brume addressed a woman behind the witness stand. "Name and occupation."

The woman flashed a smile. "Scarlet Herring, fitness instructor."

Phoenix raised his eyebrow. _So Scarlet is the witness. _It was definitely the same woman he had met yesterday. She had the red hair and black leather jacket. Another thought occurred to him. _She's a fitness instructor who frequents a bar?_

"Ms. Herring, you were at the garden when the murder occurred, correct?" Brume said.

"Yes, I was there at the time. I saw everything," Scarlet said.

"Please testify about what you saw, then," Brume said.

Testimony

_I was walking through the woods of the garden that night._

_It was around 10:30 when I heard two gunshots._

_I turned around just in time to see a man slump to the ground._

_Then a woman walked up to him, this woman being the defendant._

_Then, of all things, she set him on fire!_

"That must have been quite a shock for you," the judge said.

"At least the poor man was already dead," Scarlet said, playing with her hair.

Trucy looked at her father. "Daddy, I think she was lying."

Phoenix smiled. Trucy had been born with the incredible ability to perceive when people were lying or nervous. Using this ability, she had helped him many times inside and outside the courtroom. "Well we can't have that, can we?"

"The defense may now cross-examine the witness," the judge said.

Cross-Examination

_I was walking through the woods of the garden that night._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "Why were in a garden so late at night?"

"Well, the garden is open 24/7, and I've always been a night person," Scarlet said.

Phoenix glanced at his daughter, who just shrugged.

_It was around 10:30 when I heard two gunshots._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "What was the time frame between these two gunshots?"

"I'd say 15 seconds, at the most," Scarlet said.

Trucy slowly shook her head and turned her focus back to Scarlet.

_I turned around just in time to see a man slump to the ground._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "It was rather dark out, how did you know it was a man?"

"I have pretty good night vision," Scarlet said.

Trucy gazed intensely at Scarlet, and then gave up.

_Then a woman walked up to him, this woman being the defendant._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "What makes you so sure it was the defendant?"

"I saw her there. Like I said, I have good night vision. She was there," Scarlet said.

"She was found at the scene, Mr. Wright. It would be strange if she didn't see her there," Brume said.

"Seeing anything, Trucy?" Phoenix whispered.

"I'm not sure," Trucy said. "But she's sounding evasive. Keep pressing her, get a straight answer."

_Then, of all things, she set him on fire!_

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "You're saying you saw the defendant light the body on fire?"

"Yes, she walked up and set him on fire," Scarlet said.

Trucy looked at her father and smirked. "She's wrinkling her nose."

Phoenix smirked back, feeling proud that his daughter could catch something like that. He turned back to Scarlet. He decided that the best way to approach this was to tread lightly and see if he could figure it out. "Where exactly were you when this happened?"

"When that happened, I was in the grove. To someone coming in from the front gate, I would have been on the right side of the garden," Scarlet said.

"She's doing it again," Trucy said.

Phoenix nodded, "And what about the two people you saw? Where were they?"

"It was like this," Scarlet said.

_They were in the middle of the path. From where I was, the man was on the right and that killer was on the left._

"Objection!" Phoenix said, pointing his finger at the witness. He then put his hands on his hips. "Ms. Herring, if that is the case you've just proved the defendant to be innocent."

"What are you talking about?" Brume said.

"If the defendant was standing to the left from the witness's point of view, then she would have been directly in front of the victim. That makes it impossible for her to have shot the victim from behind!"

"Objection!" Brume said. "What if the victim was facing the other way?"

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "When the victim died, he left a footprint proving the direction he was facing when he died!"

Brume's headband popped off again, and her hair went wild.

Scarlet raked her hair. "But it's true! The- the killer was on the left."

"Daddy, she's not lying," Trucy said, curiously.

"Really?" Phoenix said murmured, scratching his chin. He looked at the map of the garden, and then inspiration struck.

"Mr. Wright, do you have an explanation this contradiction?" the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Phoenix said. "If the witness saw the killer to the left of the victim, then she was on the other side of the garden," Phoenix pointed his finger. "The side that the garden shed is on!"

"Objection!" Brume said. "Mr. Wright, what are you getting at?"

"The defense claims that the murderer shot the victim from shed's rooftop, the murderer being none other than Scarlet Herring!"

"Objection!" Brume said. "This is ridiculous! We can't even be sure that the murderer shot from rooftop in the first place!"

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "The murderer definitely shot from above. Furthermore, the grove consists almost entirely out of small redbud trees. The branches are too weak to support an adult, leaving the garden shed to be the only other option. In addition, I have evidence to support my theory!"

Phoenix presented the lantern. "This lantern was found on the roof of the garden shed. There is no fuel inside, however it was confirmed that it ran on kerosene."

"Kerosene?" Brume said, her hair now resembling a storm cloud.

"Yes, the very thing that set the victim's corpse aflame!"

"Objection!" Brume said. "That must just be a coincidence!"

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "I don't think so, for this lantern does not even belong to the garden! It is property of the L'ubriaco Bar and Grill, a place Ms. Herring is known to visit quite often!"

"No!" Scarlet exclaimed, raking her hair again. "That doesn't prove I shot anyone! That doesn't even prove I was on the roof."

"There is a way to prove that you were on the roof, Ms. Herring," Phoenix said. "The defense requests that the witness remove her jacket!"

"Objection!" Brume said. "What on Earth will that prove?"

"The roof of the garden is absolutely coated in pollen. So much in fact that it would leave a bright yellow stain on anything it touched. If there is such a stain on the witness, it would prove that she was on the roof. The footprints that were found were rather close to the siding of the rooftop, so I'm confident that whoever made those prints brushed against the side at some point."

The judge thought for a moment, appearing deep in thought. "Request granted. Witness, remove your jacket."

Scarlet clutched her black leather jacket. She opened her mouth to say something, but silently removed her jacket and reluctantly handed it over to Phoenix. He examined the jacket for a minute, checking every angle. When he looked along the hem, he smiled slyly.

"Take that!" Phoenix said, and showed the entire courtroom the vivid yellow stain.

Everyone in the courtroom paused, staring at the jacket. Scarlet paled. Then, the gallery went into an uproar. The judge slammed his gavel and demanded order. Eventually, those watching the trial grew silent once again.

"Witness," the judge looked down on Scarlet. "What do you have to say?"

"It-it wasn't me!" Scarlet said, feverishly. "It was her! That Coldstare woman! She was the one who killed him, she set him on fire! She's an evil, heartless killer! Not me!"

"Calm down, witness," the judge said sternly. "Or you will be escorted out of this courtroom and arrested immediately."

Scarlet wasn't listening, though. "She's the killer, I saw it! She burned him and then she just watched! It was her!"

The judge slammed his gavel on his podium. "Bailiff! Relieve Ms. Herring from the stand and have her placed in the detention center."

Soon, Scarlet was taken away. The judge looked at Prosecutor Brume. "Does the prosecution have anything to add?"

"The witness cracked under pressure, I apologize on her behalf," Brume said, calm and composed. "The prosecution stands by its claim the defendant is guilty, though. The evidence presented by the defense does propose another theory, but conclusive evidence has yet to be shown."

"Hmm," the judge considered the chief prosecutor's words. "It light of the current situation, it would premature to deliver a verdict. The trial will be extended for another day. Until then, court is adjourned."

**_Sorry if some parts were a bit hard to follow. I really wish I could have given you a visual aid for this chapter. Read and review. _**


	19. Chapter 19

In the detention center, Miles and Phoenix waited to talk to Maria. She was soon sitting in front of them, a glass pane separating them.

"Hello," Maria said, closing the book she had been reading. She stared at Miles. "Edgeworth? You look… different today."

"It's a disguise," Miles said, sounding not at all pleased by it. Phoenix had given him a blue jean jacket to wear over his white shirt. His hair was also slicked back again.

"Why?" Maria said.

"Because Wright's paranoid," Miles deadpanned.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to be seen with you either," Maria said, with a matching tone.

Phoenix bit his lip. Miles crossed his arms and gave Maria a look.

"Sorry, that just slipped out," Maria said, not making eye contact. "I still don't get the disguise, though."

"Edgeworth is helping me investigate," Phoenix explained.

Surprised, Maria looked at Miles. "Really?"

Miles tilted his head and a thin smile appeared on his face. "Of course, I can't just sit around and do nothing while you're being charged with murder."

Maria rubbed her arm. "Oh, thanks."

Phoenix watched her curiously. _Why does she remind me of someone? Ugh, this is going to be so obvious when it hits me. _He dismissed the thought and focused on the case, which was why they had come in the first place. "So Ms. Coldstare, do you mind relaying what you know to us?"

"Alright," Maria said. "I went to the garden a little before 10:30. I met Seth Aflame, and then he was shot from behind. Out of nowhere, another person appeared and set the body on fire. Then that same person strangled me, but not enough to kill me."

"Do you have any hints as to who this person was?" Phoenix said. "Could it have been the witness from the trial?"

Maria tapped her arm with her book, thinking. "I can't be sure, it was dark after all. I know they wore a large coat, but that made it difficult to find any distinctive features."

Phoenix nodded his head. "I see, is there anything else?"

Maria closed her eyes and thought hard. She was silent for quite a while; then she spoke. "As I was being choked, my senses grew foggy. I can't recall exactly what happened, but I heard a scream," Maria gripped her arm and looked away. "I can't even remember what the scream sounded like, or if it was a male or a female. I just remember hearing a scream."

"Could it have been you?" Phoenix said.

"Wright, she was being strangled," Miles said.

"Oh, yeah," Phoenix said.

Maria looked at Phoenix, "I should thank you for your defense during the trial."

Phoenix smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "We're not finished yet. We still have the trial tomorrow. Speaking of which, do you know Scarlet Herring in any way?"

Maria shook her head. "I've never met her before."

Miles frowned and muttered to himself. "And yet she kept calling you evil and murderous. It was a verbal assault."

"Yeah, she got really worked up towards the end," Phoenix said. "Pretty suspicious."

"So you really think she was the killer?" Maria said.

"It's starting to look that way," Phoenix said.

"At this point, it's really the only logical conclusion," Miles commented. "The other witness, Frank wasn't it? He said that no one came to or left the garden. Since it obviously wasn't Coldstare that killed the victim, or the victim himself, Ms. Herring is the only person that could have done it."

"True. Not to mention she was in an optimal position to shoot."

"Just where were you standing when the victim was hot anyway?"

"I was right in front of the victim."

Miles raised both of his eyebrows in disbelief. "You were that close when the victim was shot?"

"Yes, I was nearby when the corpse was burned too."

"But the killer could have shot you!"

"I suppose it was possible, but that didn't happen," Maria said, a morbid expression on her face. "Instead, some criminal killed Seth Aflame. I'll never understand how someone can stoop so low."

Phoenix watched the two prosecutors, but mainly Maria. He was getting that feeling again, like he was missing something. The way she spoke, and certain movements, they were incredibly familiar. He could feel it staring him right in face, yet he couldn't make the connection. _Franziska? No, not quite. Wait a minute…_

"I know, not only did someone kill a man, they blamed someone else for it. To cover the truth like that is a crime itself," Miles brooded.

"Murder is the worst crime, though. To take someone's life like that sickens me," Maria said, getting into the conversation.

"I know it does, even the mouse traps in the police department bother you."

"Have you seen those things in action?"

"No, actually. Lately I've noticed that they keep getting set off, but nothing is in them," Miles said, a thin smile on his face.

"Are you accusing me of something?" Maria said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Nothing new here."

"Hold on, what was that?" Miles said, anxiously.

Maria was silent, then her eyes widened. The ground shook violently, and Maria shrieked. The tremor was forceful; it knocked Phoenix out of his chair. He hit the floor, which wouldn't stop moving. He managed to sit up, and saw Miles pressed against the wall separating visitors from prisoners. Because of the counter over him, it looked to be a bit of a tight fit. His eyes were distant, and Phoenix felt a wave of concern for his friend. The unstable ground forced the defense attorney back to the ground, where he stayed for a much longer period of time than he would have preferred. When the tremor finally subsided, Phoenix moved over to Miles. He touched his shoulder, hoping to bring the prosecutor back from whatever nightmare was running through his mind.

Miles didn't respond, but after softly speaking to the prosecutor Phoenix was able to coax Miles back to reality. His eyes regained an awareness of his surroundings, and Phoenix asked him if he was alright.

"I'm fine," Miles said, his was still audible but he did look calmer. That is, until his widened. "Maria!"

Phoenix jumped back in surprise when Miles got up from and placed his hands on top of the counter. He leaned forward until he was almost touching the glass. "Maria, are you okay?"

Phoenix stood up and realized Maria was nowhere in sight. Slowly, though, Maria rose into view. She was pressing a book against her chest, and her head was down. "I'm alright," her voice was trembling.

Miles leaned back and sighed. Maria flipped her hair out of her face, and stared at the two attorneys in front of her. The shaking had knocked her glasses off her face. She went back to the floor and searched the floor for her glasses.

"Jinkies," Phoenix said to himself.

Maria heard him though. She got back up and glared at Miles. "Not funny, Mr. Wright."

Miles drew breathe to say something, but hesitated. "Sorry."

"Oh," Maria said shamefaced, apparently she recognized the voice. She went back to searching.

Miles and Phoenix scanned the part of the floor they could see through the window. Eventually, Miles pointed them out and directed Maria until she found them. She stood up and rubbed the lenses with her sleeve before putting her glasses on.

"Better?" Miles asked.

"Yes, thank-you," Maria said.

Miles gave a short bow. "I'm just glad you found them."

Maria smirked. "No need to bow."

Miles straightened himself and faintly blushed. He tilted his head and smiled. "Heh."

It was then that Phoenix made a few connections. He smiled. "Well, if you're okay Edgeworth and I should get back to investigating. Thank you for your time."

"Good luck with your investigation," Maria said.

Miles and Phoenix left the visitor's center and walked down a hallway leading to the exit. Phoenix glanced at Miles and grinned. Miles caught him looking.

"What?" he said.

"It's not important," Phoenix said, too quickly.

"No, just get it off your chest," Miles said, looking at him suspiciously.

"Well, I guess I might as well ask," Phoenix said, weighing his options.

"Go on."

Phoenix put his hands in his pockets. "Do you like Ms. Coldstare?"

"That's a silly question, of course I do," Miles said, crossing his arms.

Phoenix looked astonished.

"She's a good friend," Miles added, not understanding his friend's bewilderment.

"That's not what I meant," Phoenix said.

Miles raised an eyebrow. "Then what did you mean?"

Phoenix sighed and tried to think of another way to phrase the question. They walked out of the detention center when he said, "I meant, do you have a crush on her?"

Miles recoiled, "What? What gave you that idea?"

"It had been bugging me for a while, Ms. Coldstare reminded me of someone. I just realized it was you."

"So?" Miles blushed.

"It's not just that, it's the way you act around her too. You have this certain face. You tilt your head, get this kind of nervous smile and you blush. It's exactly the same face you always made around that girl you had a crush on when you were nine."

"What are you talking about?" Miles said.

"Remember that cute little redhead? What was her name? Sally Port, I think?"

Suddenly, Miles knew what he was talking about. "I don't recall ever fancying her, but I do remember you and Larry teasing me. You both kept insisting that I was in love," he put air quotations around "in love."

"Well, you were," Phoenix said.

"No I wasn't."

"You're still denying that?" Phoenix said in disbelief.

"I mean it Wright," Miles said sternly.

Phoenix bit his lip.

"What's so funny?" Miles asked, getting miffed.

Phoenix reached into his pocket and showed Miles an emerald green stone, shaped like the number 9. It was a Magatama, an emblem created by spirit mediums to reveal people's secrets.

"You know what this does," Phoenix said.

"I don't believe in that nonsense," Miles said.

"You've used it! Plus one of your Psyche-Locks just broke."

_Really? _Miles shut out the thought and glared at Phoenix. "I'm not playing this game."

"Just give it up; it was a long time ago anyway."

"Yes, isn't the fact that I'm denying it evidence that it's the truth?"

"No, it's evidence that you're stubborn."

"Well, if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black."

"Why are you so determined to hide it? Do you still have a crush on her?"

"No! I don't have crush on her anymore."

"Anymore, huh?" Phoenix smirked.

"That's not what I meant," Miles said, faltering.

"There goes another one," Phoenix said.

"Will I ever be able to convince you that I didn't have a crush on Sally Port? Even as kids, you and Larry were relentless," Miles said, tapping a finger against his crossed arm. "You even had a dopey song, how did that go?"

Phoenix broke into a singsong voice. "Edgey's got a girlfriend, Edgey's got a girlfriend."

"Would you stop that?" Miles said, aggravated.

"You asked," Phoenix said.

Miles grit his teeth, frustrated."How do you remember all of this anyway?"

"I probably remember fourth grade better than high school."

"Look Wright, I didn't have a girlfriend, I don't have a girlfriend, and it is highly doubtful that I ever will have a girlfriend."

"Are you sure?" Phoenix said. He tilted his head and put on a nervous smile. "Because this must turn some heads."

Miles glared coldly. _He's enjoying this way too much. Maybe I should just give it up; it was a long time ago. _He weighed his options. He really had fancied Sally when he was a kid, but he never admitted it. However, Phoenix had obviously figured it out. Miles had gotten over his crush years ago; perhaps it wasn't worth hiding anymore. _Wait, if my calculations are correct, than I still have 3 of those Psycholock things. If I cave in now, I'll still have two left. Is there something else? _

Miles was now deep in thought, contemplating his extra locks. It seemed that he was hiding something from both Phoenix and himself, but Miles had no idea what. He looked at the Magatama that was still in Phoenix's hand. If he played along, it's possible that he could find out what his secret was. _But then Wright could figure it out too, and I probably don't want that. _

His newfound curiosity wouldn't leave. If he was careful, perhaps Miles could figure everything out and avoid revealing it to Phoenix. _Is it worth the risk? I'm suppressing something from everyone including myself, what if it's really bad? Wright would be the last person I'd want to find out about it. _

_Still, I have to know. The revelation of truth may result in tragedy, but it would be an even greater tragedy to avert one's eyes from it. That is my creed, no matter the circumstances. _He looked at Phoenix, who looked back at him expectantly. _But some things are a matter of privacy, so I'll tread lightly._

"I don't suppose you can prove any of this?" Miles said.

"You blushed every time she spoke to you," Phoenix said.

"Anything else?" Miles said.

"Edgeworth, we both know you liked her," Phoenix said.

_Yes, but do you have evidence of something different? _"You have yet to show a single a piece of actual evidence for anything."

"This isn't court, Edgeworth."

"Courtroom or not, the truth can only be proven with evidence."

Phoenix stared at Miles, who could see the gears turning in the defense attorney's head. His expression became much more serious. "You don't understand your emotions at all, do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Even if you won't admit it, you liked Sally Port. Your actions back then proved as much, and you know it's true. Yet I don't think you've made the connection."

"What connection?" Miles asked. _Is this what the extra Psycholocks are about?_

"When you were nine, you had this habit of tilting your head to the side and grinning when you were around Sally. You would even blush a specific shade every time."

"What's your point?" Miles said, completely lost.

Phoenix sighed. "You've started doing the exact same thing again, but it's not just that. Think about it, Edgeworth. Recently, have you ever felt flustered? Is there someone you act differently around?"

Phoenix had never seen such a blank stare on Miles' face. "What started all of this in the first place?"

Miles thought back to the beginning of the conversation. _Wright asked me if I liked Coldstare. But that can't be it, can it? _A series of flashbacks ran through his mind. He had never doubted Maria's innocence for a moment. When he recovered from the earthquake, he thought of Maria. He was helping Phoenix investigate to prove her innocence. _That proves that I care, but I consider her a friend so of course I would. It doesn't mean I'm infatuated._

"Wright, I see where you're going with this. But there is nothing to confirm this theory of yours," Miles said.

Phoenix smacked his forehead. "Oh my… you're hopeless."

"I'm being perfectly logical."

"To a fault, I'd say."

Miles ignored Phoenix and thought about the investigation they should've started a long time ago. _Now is not the time for this kind of talk. We should be at the crime scene, not the parking lot outside the detention center. Although, where would we look? I honestly don't think there's anything else to find on the shed roof, besides the police are bound to comb it over. How are we going to prove where the killer was, or who the murderer is? Or who the murderer isn't, since I'm working with the defense. Think like the defense… isn't that Coldstare's strategy?_

Miles remembered the case he had worked on with Maria, and how she had mentioned her "proving innocence to prove guilt" method. His thoughts slowly shifted to Maria and he had an idea.

"Edgeworth!" Phoenix said, taking Miles off his train of thought. "Okay I said some, like, 3 minutes ago."

"Oh, sorry," Miles said. "Let's start investigating, shall we?"

Phoenix looked at Miles for a moment, and then said, "Alright, we'll head to the crime scene."

"Actually, do you mind if we go somewhere else first?"


	20. Chapter 20

Miles parked his car nearby the crime scene and he and Phoenix got out. Miles stepped over to the back door and opened it. A little furry head appeared, quickly followed by the rest of the body down to a feverishly wagging tail. Missile looked up at Miles with a look of pure joy that only a dog can possess. A thin smile appeared on the prosecutor's face as he closed the car door.

"Explain to me again why Missile isn't a police dog," Phoenix said.

"Insufficient training," Miles said as they began walking to the garden.

"But he knows what he's doing, right?" Phoenix said skeptically.

"I think he'll do just fine, I'm told he's gotten much better. Besides, he's nearing the end of his training,"

Police officers were scattered around the garden, searching for anything that might be relevant to the case. Some gave the trio a curious look, but there were no confrontations. That is until Detective Gumshoe noticed them.

"Missile?" Gumshoe said and walked over. The little police dog in training yapped at Gumshoe and started wagging his tail again.

"Hey, Gumshoe," Phoenix said.

The detective rubbed the little dog's head. "Hey, pals. Why did you bring Missile here?"

"I thought he might help us sniff out the killer," Miles said. "Or at least their movements."

"But we don't have anything that would have the killer's scent," Gumshoe said.

"The murderer had kerosene on them, did they not? Perhaps they left a trail."

"Oh," Gumshoe said, putting the pieces together. "Well, what are we waiting for? This will be great practice for Missile. Did I tell you his exam is in a couple months?"

"Yes, I believe you've mentioned it once or twice," Miles said. _Or three times or four times…_

Miles, Phoenix and Gumshoe went with Missile to where the victim had died. Even the humans could detect faint traces of kerosene still.

"Okay, pal," Gumshoe said to Missile. "Smell anything?"

The police dog trainee stuck his nose to the ground and began sniffing. He first smelled the kerosene on the ground and started walking around, concentrating on an invisible trail. The three men watched the little dog as he used his nose to guide him across the garden path and into the grove. They followed Missile and suddenly his head perked up. He looked at his surroundings for a moment, and then took off at full speed. Miles, Phoenix and Gumshoe ran after him until they reached the garden shed.

Missile was barking at the shed, sounding quite angry with it. "Grrrr, rarf! Grr, arf arf!"

Gumshoe approached Missile, "Calm down, pal. Good boy, it's alright."

Missile pawed at the wall of the shed and whined. Miles walked up to him and rubbed his head. "Good boy, Missile. So the trail ends here, does it?"

"Looks like it," Phoenix said. "Have the police searched the roof yet?"

"Yep, we've searched this shed inside and out. Pretty thoroughly too," Gumshoe said.

"Then I suppose it's doubtful we'll find anything," Miles said. "But this proves that someone with kerosene on them came here, most likely the murderer. This is where the lantern was found."

"Hey, what's this stuff?" Phoenix said and knelt to the ground.

Miles walked over to where the defense attorney was and saw an array of plants. "I believe those are herbs. Aloe, mint, sage…"

"But isn't this a flower garden?"

"Looks like herbs grow here too. I think these are all native to California, so they might not have even planted them here in the first place."

"Really?"

"Yes, but is this truly important right now?"

"I guess not. Let's head back and see if Missile can find anything else."

They led Missile back to the garden and had him sniff around again. After a minute of wandering around with his nose on the ground, Missile seemed to catch another scent. The trio followed Missile has he led them down the garden path. Eventually the cobblestone path came to end, but the little dog continued on. He brought his head and ran over to one of the largest trees Miles had ever seen.

The massive tree had a trunk the size of a van and was covered in gnarled bark. High above them, thick branches covered in leaves extended all around the tree with little sunlight fitting through the gaps.

"How did we not notice this before?" Phoenix said.

"You never noticed? This is the "Oak Shade Garden," pal," Gumshoe said.

_I suppose with the murder and all the other foliage we never paid this oak tree much heed. Strange the things you can overlook. _Miles looked at Missile, who had his front paws on the trunk. He was wagging his tail and barking. "What did you find anyway, Missile?"

The dog barked again and looked up at the tree. Miles looked too but couldn't see much more than branches and leaves. Phoenix and Gumshoe appeared to be in the same situation.

"Anyone have binoculars?" Phoenix said.

"You know, there might be a pair in one of the police cars. I'll be right back," Gumshoe said and walked away.

They waited for a few minutes and Miles wondered why Missile had led them to the giant tree. _Did he really smell kerosene here?_

Gumshoe came back with a pair of binoculars in his hand. Using them, he looked up at the tree branches.

"See anything, Detective?" Miles asked.

"Just leaves so far, sir," Gumshoe said. He moved around a bit, searching the branches. "Wait, I think I see something!"

"What? Let me see," Phoenix said.

He took the binoculars and pointed them in the direction Gumshoe had been looking. "Hey, you're right! What this that?"

"Let me have a look," Miles said and took the binoculars. He soon found what Phoenix and Gumshoe had been talking about. Tied to one of the branches was a black bag. "How did that get up there?"

"I know; could someone even climb that high?" Phoenix said.

"At that height, you'll have to call the fire department," Miles commented.

Gumshoe left the two attorneys and Missile by the tree. They didn't have any other leads to follow, so they waited. Miles glanced at Missile, who was still up against the oak tree. He pet the little dog, "Good boy."

Missile sat down and looked up at him. _Maria and Gumshoe really have trained him well. No one would have ever found that bag if it weren't for him. But just what is in that bag, if anything? And why did he smell kerosene?_

"Hey Edgeworth, let me see those binoculars again," Phoenix said.

Miles gave the binoculars to Phoenix, who pointed them at the branch with the bag. After a minute, Phoenix said, "There's something else there."

"What?" Miles said, intrigued.

Miles couldn't see his eyes, but he had a feeling the defense attorney was squinting. "It looks like… a rope? But just a knot. Plus, the end is black."

"Are you sure?" Miles said.

"See for yourself."

Miles took the binoculars again and sure enough, there was a rope knot with a black tip. "What could it mean?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to wait for someone who can go get it. What do think is in that bag anyway?"

"I can't be sure. However, I have a feeling this is the lead that will finally bring us to the truth."

They were glad to have found the rope, but it made waiting that much harder. For Miles and Phoenix, it had started out with foot tapping and finger drumming against the tree respectively. Then it turned into pacing and using two sticks to make a drumbeat. Then Phoenix accidentally lost one of the sticks and Miles watched him try to get it back from Missile, which livened things up. When Phoenix gave up, Miles eventually went back to pacing and thinking. Finally, Detective Gumshoe came back.

"Ah, Detective," Miles said.

"The lift should be here in about 30 minutes, sir," Gumshoe reported.

Phoenix knocked his head against the oak tree.


	21. Chapter 21

**_Okay, so I would have posted this sooner but I wanted to finish writing Chapter 22 as well. I get paranoid about making plot holes, and I really didn't want to leave anything out. So now that I have that taken care of, I'm posting both chapters. Read and review. _**

Phoenix, Miles, Gumshoe, and Missile stood around the giant oak tree. Miles found himself pacing again, thinking about the case. _Let's see, a black bag and a piece of rope. Somehow, someone managed to climb this monster of a tree and place them there. For what reason? Could this have happened the night of the murder? Is it possible that Ms. Herring put those there? But she was on the roof of the shed, wasn't she? Could she have gone to both places? Or was the pollen on her jacket truly unrelated? Just where was that woman?_

"Detective Gumshoe, you said the police investigated the shed, did you not?" Miles said.

"Yes, sir. We searched every inch," Gumshoe said.

"Were you able to confirm whether or not Ms. Herring was on the roof?"

"Actually, forensics got a hold of those black boots and found Ms. Herring's fingerprints and DNA."

"Fingerprints?" Miles said. "But there weren't any fingerprints on the lantern."

"The fingerprints were wiped, remember?" Phoenix said. "Besides, most people would hold a lantern by its handle anyway."

"I suppose so," Miles said. He stopped pacing and adopted a speculative stance.

Eventually, the lift arrived at the scene and the police sent a man up. A few minutes later, the officer on the lift contacted Gumshoe's radio.

"From here I see a small black bag and a piece of rope, sir. Should I see anything else?"

"I don't think so, pal," Gumshoe said into his radio. "What's in the bag?"

The radio was silent for a minute, but then the officer responded rather enthusiastically. "You're never going to believe it sir! This bag has matches and bullet casings inside!"

"What?" Gumshoe said, his excitement now rivaling the officer's. "Bring that stuff down here, pal!"

Miles tapped his forehead and looked at Phoenix. "Matches and bullet casings, how interesting."

"So the murderer was up there?" Phoenix said, looking up at the rather tall oak tree. "Why go through the trouble?"

"They probably wanted to stay out of sight. On top of that, who would think to look up there?" Miles said.

"Sure, but what about the kerosene trail Missile picked up?"

"I suspect the kerosene lamp had something to do with it. Perhaps it was a false lead to throw us off."

"Yeah, I guess so. Does this mean there was another person involved?" Phoenix said, scratching his chin.

"That's the most likely explanation," Miles said. He crossed his arms, thinking. "I can't fathom who it could be, though."

"I think there's someone who knows," Phoenix said, after a moment's pause. "Scarlet."

"True, it is very unlikely that she isn't part of this."

Detective Gumshoe went up to them. "Alright, we're bringing the evidence down now. Forensics is going to have a field day with this stuff."

"I see," Miles said.

"In that case we should probably stay out of their way and investigate somewhere else," Phoenix chimed in.

"Alright. Oh, and don't worry about Missile. I'll take him back," Gumshoe said.

"Thanks Detective. Tell us how the tests go, okay?" Phoenix said.

"Sure thing, pal. See you later," Gumshoe said and walked away.

Miles felt a smirk tug on his lips. _That detective is really charitable with information. I'd dock his pay for it if it weren't so helpful right now. _The two attorneys left the garden and Miles drove them to the detention center. Soon after arriving, they were sitting opposite of Scarlet Herring. She wasn't thrilled to see them.

"What do you want?" Scarlet said.

"We came to ask a few questions," Phoenix said.

"Such as?" Scarlet said, sounding bored.

Phoenix blinked, and his smile lost an ounce of its cheerfulness. Miles noticed his friend's sudden change in attitude and gave him an inquiring glance. Phoenix kept his eyes on Scarlet as he reached into his pocket and brought out the Magatama. He slipped it into the prosecutor's hand.

As soon as his skin made contact with the ethereal charm, Miles saw large chains and three strange red locks surrounding Scarlet. _Ah, those annoying Psycholocks. I should have expected as much._

Miles gave the Magatama back to Phoenix, who was far more experienced with the device. Phoenix then said to Scarlet, "Let's start with where you were that night."

"Nah," Scarlet said, looking disinterested.

"Not telling us just makes you more suspicious," Phoenix said.

"So? You won't believe me anyway," Scarlet said.

"Just answer the question," Phoenix said.

"No, I think I'll keep quiet. That's one of my rights, isn't it? Part of my Miranda Rights or something?" Scarlet said, looking everywhere but right in front of her.

"Ms. Herring," Miles said coldly. "Look me in the eye and answer the question."

Scarlet looked directly at the prosecutor, a deadpan expression on her face. "No."

"Why not?" Miles said; his icy stare unwavering.

Scarlet shrugged and looked at her fingernails. "Is this supposed to be a good cop – bad cop gimmick?"

"No, it most certainly is not," Miles said, gripping the counter. _This is getting nowhere._

Phoenix was almost suffocated by the aura of loathing emanating from Miles. "Maybe we should come back later; when we have more evidence."

"It's not like I'm going anywhere," Scarlet said.

Miles and Phoenix walked out of the room and Scarlet was escorted back to her holding cell.

"Alright, we need something more incriminating before we can get Scarlet to talk," Phoenix said.

"We need something more incriminating, period," Miles said. "Think about it, Wright. The only reason there is to suspect Ms. Herring of wrongdoing is where she was standing at the time of the murder. And now there's new evidence to suggest the shed had nothing to do with the murder at all."

"That may be true, but remember Scarlet's hiding something. I know she's connected to this case," Phoenix said. "Don't give up yet."

"I never intended to give up, Wright," Miles said passionately. "All I'm saying is that we should really think this through. There isn't even a motive to kill the victim. Or frame Coldstare."

"Maybe it involves one of Ms. Coldstare's cases," Phoenix said.

Miles raised an eyebrow. "Why would you think that?"

"It's possible isn't it?" Phoenix said.

"Coldstare didn't seem to recognize either Mr. Aflame or Ms. Herring though."

"I don't remember every single person involved in all of my cases," Phoenix said.

Miles considered the defense attorney's words. "I can't discredit the possibility, I suppose."

"Maybe we should check it out. Might as well, right?"

Miles contemplated how they were to get that information. _The Police Department has plenty of records, but none are very detailed. Plus any current investigations wouldn't be on file. That would take too long to search through anyway. There must be a place that would only have files related to Maria._ An idea entered the prosecutor's mind, making him cringe.

Phoenix, of course, noticed. "What?"

"Well, the Chief Prosecutor would have everything digitally saved on her computer," Miles said, not making eye contact.

"I don't think Brume wants us looking through that," Phoenix said. "Any other ideas?"

Miles couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty by merely suggesting the thought. "Another option would be Coldstare's office."

Phoenix scratched his chin. "Don't the office doors have locks or something? Hmm, Trucy has been perfecting her lock picking tricks…"

"Lock picking?" Miles said incredulously. "I was thinking more along the lines of a key."

"Sure, but the key's probably in police custody."

"Yes, but that's not the only key that can unlock the door," Miles said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"What? Did you make a copy her keys or something?" Phoenix said, playfully.

"Why would I copy keys?" Miles asked.

Phoenix shrugged and grinned, his chin lifted. Miles couldn't tell if he was being cheerful or smug. "I dunno. So what key are you referring to?"

"There's a master key that security uses," Miles said, the back of his mind still pondering what in the world the defense attorney could have possibly been suggesting.

"So we just ask the security guard to unlock the door to someone else's office?" Phoenix said.

"Well, no. Not exactly," Miles hated himself for even thinking of stooping to such tactics. "But first let's ask Coldstare if we can look through her office."


	22. Chapter 22

Back in the detention center, Maria stood opposite of Miles and Phoenix in a room separated by a glass frame. Miles looked at the book in her hand. She had been over halfway through last time he saw her, but now the bookmark was placed barely a third of the way through. A wry smile flickered on Miles' face. _She's probably finished that book four times already._

"What is it?" Maria asked.

"Ms. Coldstare, we wanted to ask for your permission to search your office," Phoenix said.

"My office?" Maria said dubiously. "Why do you need to look there?"

"We're searching for leads, and it's possible that one of your cases is involved."

"So you want to look through my files then?" Maria said. "I don't see any harm in it. However I don't have my key anymore."

"Oh, that's not an issue. Edgeworth knows how to break into your office," Phoenix said.

"You what?" Maria said, staring at Miles.

Miles paled, "No, it's not like that. I mean, I never have before or anything. Besides it's not really breaking in like Wright's suggesting."

Phoenix grinned. "Sorry, he's right I shouldn't have phrased it like that," his expression implied that his choice of words was no accident. "Edgeworth was the one that wanted to ask for your permission anyway."

"I see," Maria said. "Well, I appreciate that I suppose."

Miles was no longer pale; in fact he now had a light blush. He didn't know it, but he was tilting his head too. "So you're okay with it, then?"

"Like I said, I don't see any harm in you two reading my files. As long as you don't do anything illegal."

"Don't worry, I'll keep him in line," Phoenix said.

"I'm sorry, but aren't you the one that suggested your daughter's lock-picking abilities?" Miles said, beginning to feel defensive.

"I was joking, Edgeworth," Phoenix said and stood up. "Well, thank you Ms. Coldstare."

"And I apologize if Wright has made you worried. He thinks he's funny," Miles said dryly.

In the parking lot outside the detention center, Miles opened the back door of his car and shed the jean jacket Phoenix had lent him. It had felt strange and rough at first, but over time Miles found it was actually quite comfortable. He put the jacket in the back seat and took out the black vest, burgundy jacket and cravat he normal wore. He quickly put everything and fixed his hair so that large "M" bangs framed his face once more.

"I can't believe you're on board with this," Miles said as he and the defense attorney got into his car.

Phoenix shrugged. "We're not doing anything illegal, Edgeworth. Besides, Ms. Coldstare said it would be okay."

"Yes, I'm glad she approves of us 'breaking in,'" Miles said, glaring at Phoenix.

"Sorry if I made you look bad," Phoenix said.

Miles huffed. "At least I'm back in my regular clothes."

It wasn't a particularly long drive to the Prosecutors Building, but it was enough time for the guilt to set back in. Miles tried to ignore the sense that he was going to break the law. The idea was inspired from a criminal who had broken into his own office though, so it wasn't easy. When they finally reached the Prosecutors Building, Miles sighed. _Just grow up and get it over with already. You have permission and you're not going steal anything much less murder someone._

Miles parked his car and he and Phoenix stepped out. Miles led the defense attorney to the security booth. In the booth was familiar looking man. The piercing screech of a megaphone jogged his memory.

"Officer Meekins?" Miles said, reorienting himself after the deafening whine.

"Unfortunately sir, it's just Mr. Meekins now," Mike Meekins said, or rather, shouted. "I was fired from my position as court bailiff after a defendant I was escorting tricked me into locking myself in a closet. Then I broke it!"

"Wait, did you just say you broke a closet?" Phoenix said.

"Yes, sir!" Meekins yelled into his megaphone.

The attorneys covered their ears. _How does that noise not affect him? He must have short circuited his hearing. And his brain. _

"So now you work as a security guard here?" Miles said. _He lied on his resume. That's the only logical explanation._

"Yes, sir! Now then, what do you need?" Meekins said, saluting.

"I left the key to my office at home, I need you to unlock my office door," Miles said.

"Alright, sir! Your office is 1202, right?" Meekins said.

"Actually, it is 1203," Miles said before he could change his mind.

"With all due respect, sir, are you sure? I remember delivering papers to your office when I was police officer, and I remember your office being 1202, sir!"

"I think I know the number for my own office, Mr. Meekins," Miles said.

"Of course, sir. Follow me!" Meekins said and grabbed a key hanging in the booth.

Miles and Phoenix followed the high-strung security guard to the 12th floor of the building. They reached office 1203 and Meekins unlocked the door and opened it.

"Thank you, Mr. Meekins," Miles said.

Meekins saluted and managed to poke himself in the eye. While he rubbed his eye, he said, "Just come back to the security booth so I can lock up for you."

Miles and Phoenix walked into the office. Meekins closed the door for them, but then opened it again a moment later because his lanyard had gotten caught.

Phoenix sighed. "Poor guy, I'll bet you he trips and tumbles down all 12 flights of stairs."

"Indeed," Miles said. He looked around Maria's office and was immediately drawn the bookshelf. Much like the one in his office, it reached the ceiling and covered most of the wall. "Let's see what we can find."

"All of this is Ms. Coldstare's?" Phoenix said.

"No, many of these files are from the prosecutors who had the office before her," Miles said.

"Which ones should we look through then?" Phoenix asked.

"I don't know how she organizes everything, but I imagine she keeps all of her cases together. Let's browse through here," Miles said and began skimming the bookcase, which could be described as three bookcases. Phoenix did the same.

It wasn't long until Miles found Maria's name in one of the files. Before he could say anything though, Phoenix exclaimed. "I found one!"

Miles looked up and Phoenix with a file in his hands. He was on the complete other side of the bookcase. "Alright, so Coldstare's files might not be as close together as I thought. Does that file tell you anything helpful?"

Phoenix skimmed through the file in his hand, Miles did the same. After a couple minutes, the defense attorney said, "I don't think so. What about you?"

"I'm afraid not," Miles said.

It went on like this for the next 15 minutes, but to no avail. "These sure are detailed," Phoenix commented at some point."

"Yes, Coldstare is quite through in her investigations," Miles said.

Phoenix picked out another file. "I wish we knew what we were looking for. Can you think of anything she said that might be a hint?"

"If I had thought of such a thing I would have mentioned it long ago," Miles said, leafing through another file.

Scratched his chin and walked over to Maria's desk. He drummed his fingers against the wood and noticed an envelope on the desktop. He picked it up and examined it. "Wonder what this for?"

"Wright, reading her files is one thing, but reading her mail is…" Miles trailed off when he saw the envelope. On it Maria's name was written with intricate handwriting. _I've seen that before. _

Miles approached Phoenix and took the envelope. Sure enough, it had been opened. _This was the letter on the ground in front of Maria's door, was it really only a couple days ago?_

"Edgeworth? What is it?" Phoenix said.

"This letter was delivered to Coldstare's office right before she was arrested," Miles said, without a doubt in his mind.

"Really?" Phoenix said, surprised. "Well, what's it about?"

Completely forgetting that he had just been telling Phoenix not to read other people's mail, Miles opened the envelope and took out a note.

Dear Maria Coldstare,

I understand that you are the prosecutor for the Rivale Family case. I have information regarding the family that I believe would greatly benefit your case. However, I fear for my life should a member of the family find out that I revealed one of their secrets. I beg you to make this as discreet as possible. I truly do not want the police involved and I wish to remain anonymous. Just meet me at the Oak Shade Garden at 10:30, and I will tell you all I know. I want to tell the truth, but I am terrified. If I see you did not come alone I will flee.

"The Oak Shade Garden at 10:30!" Phoenix said. "That's the time of the murder!"

"Yes," Miles said, mulling it over.

"Why didn't Ms. Coldstare tell us about this sooner?" Phoenix said.

"Because she hates to show weakness," Miles said.

"Huh?" Phoenix said.

"Think about it Wright. She received an anonymous message that specifically told her not to tell the police. She went out alone in the middle of the night and now she's on trial for murder. While she didn't kill anyone herself, she must feel guilty for not involving the police," Miles said.

"I think I get it. But I still don't quite understand why she didn't tell anyone about this," Phoenix said.

"Like I said, she's not one to show weakness. And because she fell for a trap, someone died. The guilt and humiliation overwhelmed her. She couldn't tell anyone. But she gave us the opportunity to find the truth by letting us look through her office," Miles put the letter down. He understood exactly what she was feeling, for he had gone through the same thing. His resolve to find the truth strengthened. With his new understanding of the case, Miles felt the path to the truth become clearer and his focus sharpen.

"Let's find Maria's case file on the Rivale Family," Miles said.


	23. Chapter 23

It wasn't long before Miles and Phoenix found the case file they were looking for. The file was noticeably thicker than the other ones with a couple loose papers stilling out. Miles put the file on Maria's desk and opened it. There were various detailed accounts of trials and investigations, all of them connected to the Rivale Family.

"Ms. Coldstare sure has been busy," Phoenix said.

"So it would seem," Miles said, flipping through the case file."Let's see here; trial records, evidence lists, testimonies, backgrounds, investigations, leads. What should we check first?"

"Why don't I look at the all the case summaries first, and you check the backgrounds?" Phoenix said.

The documents were attached with a three ring binder, so they unhooked the necessary papers and began searching. In front of Miles was information on victims, Rivale gang members, and other persons of interest. He read the victims first, searching for any familiar names. He read about the victims for all kinds of crimes; murder, robbery, assault, etc. Nothing came up, so he decided to look through the gang members. Maria had kept profiles of certain Rivales, by the looks of it the most powerful or dangerous. Miles read about their movements, suspected crimes, confirmed crimes and modus operandi among other things. He couldn't find anything to connect any of them to Seth Aflame's murder.

Miles glanced over at Phoenix, who was still reading the trial records. He appeared to be reading them rather intensely, though it didn't seem that the defense attorney had found anything useful yet. Miles picked up the persons of interest papers and read them word by word. The persons of interest were people associated with the Rivale gang, whether it was because they owned the family money or supplied hide-outs or weapons. _A lot of people seem to owe this gang money. Mort Age, Deb Ettopay, Nancy Fine…_

"Eureka!" Miles said.

"What?" Phoenix said, surprised by the sudden outburst.

"Seth Aflame was going bankrupt. He was borrowing from all over; to pay for his debts he would take money from somewhere else. He was suspected in borrowing funds from the Rivale Family," Miles said.

"Really?" Phoenix said. He put documents in his hand on the desk and started reading over his friend's shoulder. "Why do they suspect him?"

Miles read on. "About three months ago, Seth Aflame was paying off his debts but no one knew how. His financial situation hadn't made any notable changes. Investigations showed that when he started paying his debts, he had begun visiting the L'ubriaco Bar and Grill on a regular basis.

"L'ubriaco?" Phoenix exclaimed. The break in the case got him fired up. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"If you would let me read you'd find out," Miles said impatiently. He turned back to the page and his eyes widened. "The L'ubriaco is run by the Rivales Family!"

"This is exactly what we've been looking for," Phoenix said, grinning.

A thin smile appeared on Miles' face. "Yes, I have a feeling this will come in handy later."

Phoenix thought for a moment. "Alright, so that's a connection for Ms. Coldstare and Seth Aflame. What about Scarlet Herring? I know she goes to that bar a lot, but is it really enough of a connection?"

Miles crossed his arms, thinking back to when they had first met Scarlet. The thin smile came back. "Wright, remember what Ms. Herring said at the bar? I recall her saying the she knew the family that runs the L'ubriaco."

"I think you're right," Phoenix said. "So the Rivales must be involved somehow."

"It certainly seems that way," Miles said. He looked at the time. "If we're going to get any answers out of Ms. Herring, we should get back to the detention center. Visiting hours will be over soon."

Phoenix and Miles put the documents back in the case file. Phoenix picked up the letter and the file and walked out of Maria's office with Miles. As they were walking down the stairs, the prosecutor's cell phone rang. He took the phone of his pocket and pressed the call button.

"Edgeworth speaking," Miles said.

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir!" Detective Gumshoe said from the other side of the line.

"Detective, any news?" Miles said.

"We just got the test results back, sir. There weren't any fingerprints on anything, but we did find out the rope was burned with kerosene, sir."

"The rope was burned with kerosene?" Miles repeated to make sure Phoenix heard. "I see; anything else?"

"There wasn't really anything to find with bullet casings or the matches, except that a couple of the matches were used."

"Thank you for informing me, Detective."

"Yes, sir," Gumshoe said before saying good bye and hanging up. For some reason, Miles suspected that the detective had saluted even though they were talking on the phone.

"Burned with kerosene, huh?" Phoenix said.

"Apparently so," Miles said. "That explains the kerosene trail."

"Hey, maybe that rope is how the killer got up the tree," Phoenix said.

"That's the most logical conclusion," Miles said.

They reached the first floor of the Prosecutors Building and told Meekins at the security booth to lock up again. Miles and Phoenix got into the former's car and drove back to the detention center. They went inside and asked to speak with Scarlet Herring. A few minutes later they were looking at her from the other side of the glass, although she seemed to be ignoring the attorneys.

"Back again already?" she said, exasperated.

Phoenix played with the Magatama before placing it on the counter in front of him. Miles was close enough to the charm that he could see the three red locks covering the woman. "Yes, Scarlet. We need to ask you a few questions."

"Ask away," Scarlet said.

"Where were you on the night of the murder?" Phoenix asked.

"I'm not answering that," Scarlet said.

"But you just said I could ask you questions."

"I never said I'd answer anything, but you sounded like you needed to get something off your chest," Scarlet said, picking at her fingernails.

"Scarlet," Phoenix said; his expression serious and a warning in his tone.

Scarlet sighed. "Fine, I'll play along. So, where do think I was?"

"On the rooftop of the garden shed," Phoenix said.

"Can you prove it?"

"Take that!" Phoenix said, and showed Scarlet her jacket. "Remember the pollen stain?"

"I was in a garden, there was pollen everywhere," Scarlet said, not at all interested in the conversation.

"Oh, that's not the only proof," Phoenix said. "I just want to you to see everything that connects you to the roof, including this."

Phoenix brought out the L'ubriaco lantern. "This lantern is property of the L'ubriaco, which you visit quite often. Your jacket had a high concentration of pollen rubbed onto it, and this lantern was found on the roof. These both hint that you were on the roof!"

"You showed me all of this in court, remember?" Scarlet said, her resolve as unwavering as the locks and chains surrounding her.

"Yes, but the police have done some more investigating between then and now. Which is how we found out that you were definitely on the roof," Phoenix presented the black boots. "Coincidentally, these boots were also found on the roof."

"Fascinating," Scarlet said, anything but fascinated.

"Your fingerprints were found all over these!"

"Wait, what?" Scarlet said, sudden very attentive.

"You can't deny it, you were on the roof!" Phoenix said accusingly.

A Psyche-Lock shattered in front of a troubled looking Scarlet. "So? Maybe I was on the roof. But I didn't kill anyone."

"That's right, you didn't kill anyone," Phoenix said.

"Huh?" Scarlet looked confused.

"I know you aren't the murderer," Phoenix said, slyly.

Scarlet still looked anxious.

"What's wrong? I'd think you would be glad to hear that the murderer wasn't on the roof," Phoenix said.

"I- well I, what made you change your mind?" Scarlet said, carefully.

"Edgeworth, can I see your organizer for a moment?" Phoenix said.

Miles had been keeping notes on all of the evidence they had found. Knowing what Phoenix had in mind, he opened his organizer to the right page and handed it to the defense attorney.

Well aware that they were on the same page, Phoenix immediately showed Scarlet the page Miles had opened to. "Take that!"

Scarlet played with her hair. "That's a picture of a black bag."

"Yes it is," Phoenix said. "This bag was found hanging from the large oak tree in the garden. Inside the bag were bullet casings and matches."

"A-and?" Scarlet said, nervously.

Phoenix flipped to the next page. "And, there was also a mostly burned rope. That rope was burned with kerosene. I think you know where I'm getting at."

The second broken Psyche-Lock revealed that she got the picture. "I don't know why you're showing me all of this!" Scarlet said defensively. "If you know I'm innocent, let me out of here already!"

"Sure, you didn't kill the victim," Phoenix said. "But I'm not so sure I'd call you innocent."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know who the murderer is, you were an accomplice."

"I was not an accomplice to anything!" Scarlet said, a hot anger emitting from her being.

Phoenix brought out the boots again. "Yes, you were. Why else would you be standing on a roof in the middle of night?"

"I was not an accomplice, but I can tell you who the murderer is," Scarlet spat. "That wicked client of yours. She killed him! How can you defend people like her and sleep at night?"

"Because Ms. Coldstare is innocent and we both know it," Phoenix said, sounding very authoritative.

"If she isn't the killer than I don't know who is," Scarlet said. She was no longer seething with rage, however she was not going to admit defeat.

"Then allow me to refresh your memory," Phoenix said and brought out the lantern. "Take that!"

"You've already showed me the lantern, it doesn't prove anything right now," Scarlet said.

"Actually, it proves something very significant," Phoenix said. "When paired with this, it connects everything and brings this case into a new light."

Phoenix dropped the Rivales case file on the counter, creating a dramatic thud. He was careful to make sure the large binder didn't land on the Magatama. "Take that!"

Scarlet read the cover and pulled her hair. "The Rivales Family?"

"As I'm sure you're well aware, the L'ubriaco is run by the Rivales. You mentioned knowing the family that owns the bar quite well the other day, and you're not alone. The victim knew the family as well, though not for the best of reasons. Same goes for Ms. Coldstare, the prosecutor responsible for investigating and arresting several Rivales!"

"No!" Scarlet said, clawing through her hair. The final Psyche-Locks shattered and the chains retracted, exposing Scarlet and her lie. Phoenix put the Magatama back in his pocket triumphantly.

"So, tell me Scarlet," Phoenix said. "Remember who the killer is now?"

"I'm definitely not answering any of your ludicrous questions," Scarlet said, fuming. "Even if what you say is true, I still say it was that Coldstare witch! How do you she's not working with the Rivales, huh?"

Miles felt something snap inside of him. He had let Phoenix do all of the talking because he was much more skilled with the Magatama. However, he didn't see any Psyche-Locks anymore and he was not going to let Scarlet's outburst slide.

He gave Scarlet a glare that burned like dry ice and spoke in his sternest voice. "She is not working with the Rivales and she did not kill anyone. Now tell me who killed Seth Aflame."

Scarlet looked away from Miles' gaze and remained silent. Miles was silent as well; however his eyes never looked away from Scarlet. Not even when he felt Phoenix slip something smooth and hard into his hand. After that, his eyes never moved, but he wasn't really looking at Scarlet anymore. He was staring at the four accursed red locks in front of her.

**_So just who is the killer? I can't tell you, maybe later. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who's been reading Turnabout Sparks. Your reviews have been so kind, and your advice is really helpful. They've given me the confidence and motivation to keep writing this. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't be afraid to read and review!_**


	24. Chapter 24

Phoenix, Trucy and Maria stood in the defendant's lobby together. Phoenix was going over his notes before the trial with Trucy aiding him. Maria was leaning against the wall, reading her book. She looked up at Phoenix.

"So I take you found something useful during your investigation yesterday?" Maria said.

The Wrights looked up from their notes. "Yeah, Edgeworth and I made a big break in the case. It's really going to come in handy in the trial today. Thanks again for letting us in your office, Ms. Coldstare," Phoenix said.

"I'm glad it helped," Maria said.

Phoenix remembered what Miles had said yesterday and decided not to bring up the letter on her desk. So instead, he asked a question that had been bothering him. "Say, Ms. Coldstare. You know how your fingerprints are on the gun? Well, do you know why that is?"

Maria thought for a moment, frowning. "My memories after being strangled are a bit fuzzy still. I'm working on it, but I think the lack of oxygen made me black out for a minute or two. That being the case, I'd say someone put the gun in my hand during that time to get my fingerprints on it."

_Maybe Scarlet did the frame job._ Phoenix thought about it some more, trying to think of something else to ask while he could. His train of thought was broken by the sound of the door opening.

"Oh, Mr. Edgeworth," Trucy said. "What brings you here?"

Miles walked up to Phoenix and showed him a couple pieces of paper. "I believe you dropped these in the hallway."

"Oh, thanks Edgeworth," Phoenix said and put the loose papers back where they belonged.

"You're lucky that I happened to be walking by, you should really be more careful with someone's documents, Wright," Miles said.

"Someone else's?" Maria said.

Miles and Phoenix turned to Maria. "They're yours, actually," Phoenix said. "I hope you don't mind but I need them for the trial."

"If you need them, by all means," Maria said. "Oh, and hello Edgeworth."

"Hello Coldstare," Miles said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. No disguise today?" Maria said, with a hint of a smile.

"Heh, not today," Miles said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Your regular clothes suit you better anyway. I didn't think you even owned a jean jacket."

Miles' cheeks colored slightly at the sort of compliment. "I don't, it was Wright's."

Maria smirked. "I see. Did it help?"

"Well, I suppose the investigation went well," Miles said.

"Missile certainly helped," Phoenix said.

"You took Missile to the crime scene?" Maria said.

"Yeah, he turned out to be pretty useful. It was Edgeworth's idea, he told me Missile was getting really good," Phoenix said.

"Really?" Maria said. She glanced at Miles.

A court bailiff stepped inside. "Mr. Wright, the trial's going to start soon."

"I should head to the gallery. I'll see you later," Miles said and walked out.

The court bailiff escorted Maria to the courtroom. As Phoenix and Trucy headed for the courtroom, Trucy looked at her father. "Say Daddy, Mr. Edgeworth seemed really nervous about something. I've never seen him like that before, and he had all sorts of twitches."

"It probably has something to do with the trial," Phoenix said, with a knowing smile. "I bet he's worried about Ms. Coldstare."

"Ms. Coldstare… wait," Trucy tapped her gin thoughtfully. She gasped, and then beamed.

Phoenix knew what his teenage daughter was getting excited about. He playfully tilted Trucy's top hat over her eyes. "Come on; let's focus on getting Ms. Coldstare a not guilty verdict."

The judge slammed his gavel. "Court is now in session."

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Phoenix said.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Brume said.

The judge nodded his head. "Alright, we left off with the defense accusing a witness of murder. What does the prosecution have say in response?"

"The police investigated the crime scene and discovered new evidence," Brume said. "The witness in question was indeed on the roof of the shed, just as the defense claimed."

People in the gallery murmured amongst themselves. Brume raised her voice. "However, the police also discovered a black bag containing bullet casings and matches along with a rope mostly burned with kerosene tied to a large oak tree. This not so subtly implies that the killer was hiding in the tree at the time of the shooting, not on the garden shed."

"The court accepts these into evidence," the judge said. "This is quite the find. If that is the case, I suppose the witness from before did not kill the victim."

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "It's possible that Ms. Herring was in both locations! The defense requests that she be called to the stand to testify!"

The judge pondered Phoenix's request. "Does the prosecution have any objections?"

"No, Your Honor. It is the prosecution's belief that she will prove the defendant's guilt. The witness is in the waiting room right now, I planned on having her testify."

"Alright then. Bailiff! Bring the witness to the stand."

While the bailiff was escorting Scarlet to the witness stand, Trucy whispered to her father. "Daddy, you told me earlier that Scarlet person wasn't the killer."

"Yes, but she knows who the killer is," Phoenix explained. "I have to wait for the right moment to reveal everything. Just keep your eyes on Scarlet for me and everything with come eventually, got it?"

Trucy nodded her head and put immense focus on Scarlet, who was walking to the witness stand. Trucy's hands were curled into fists, ready for action. Phoenix smiled and turned his attention back to the trial.

"Ms. Herring," Brume said. "As you are well aware, it has been confirmed that you were on the roof of the shed. Because of that, the defense has accused you of murder."

"Yes, but that defense attorney was mistaken," Scarlet said.

"If that's the case I'm sure you won't mind telling us what happened," Brume said.

"Gladly," Scarlet said.

Testimony

_I admit that I was on the roof that night._

_But that doesn't change the fact that I saw the defendant murder the victim._

_Here's what happened. I heard two gunshots, saw the victim die, then the defendant set him on fire._

_The defendant just stood there, watching. That is until the police showed up._

"I don't see any inconsistencies in this testimony," the judge said.

"Objection!" Phoenix said quickly. "Your Honor, I have yet to cross-examine this testimony."

"Of course, you may do that now," said the judge.

Phoenix glanced at Trucy, who smiled encouragingly. _This is definitely a lie, but I might need more details to prove it. _

Cross-Examination

_I admit that I was on the roof that night._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "And why is that?"

"My reason is rather personal, not to mention complicated. That's why I lied before, my bad," Scarlet said.

"Uh-huh, and just what was that reason?" Phoenix said.

Scarlet played with her hair, looking downcast. "My grandfather used to work at the garden, and being up there reminded me of him. Can I leave it at that?"

Phoenix glanced at Trucy, who mouthed, "Liar."

Phoenix frowned slightly. "That's what I figured, but I don't really have anywhere to go with it unfortunately."

_But that doesn't change the fact that I saw the defendant murder the victim._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "You committed perjury, which means you have something to hide!"

"I was still in the garden. I did see the murder happen. I just didn't think my location would matter so much," Scarlet said.

"It matters a great deal, young lady," the judge said. "I hope you won't take this so lightly anymore."

"Yes, Your Honor. But what I'm getting at here is that I saw the murder," Scarlet said.

_Here's what happened. I heard two gunshots, saw the victim die, then the defendant set him on fire._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "It happened just like that?"

"Yes, it all happened rather quickly," Scarlet said.

"I don't think that last statement was a lie," Trucy said, tapping her chin.

"It wasn't?" Phoenix said. "Hmm… Your Honor! I request that last statement be added to the testimony."

Trucy looked at her father questioningly. Phoenix just nodded his head reassuringly.

_Everything happened rather suddenly, and it was all over in a matter of seconds, maybe a minute._

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "You say the time between the gunshots and the fire was short, however that strikes me as odd. The killer was in an incredibly tall oak tree, the prosecution said so herself. How could anyone get out of the tree and to the middle of the walkway that quickly?"

"Objection!" Brume said. "The witness may simply be exaggerating the time between these two events. She had just witnessed a murder after all; perhaps she remembers things happening a little faster."

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "It would still take a long time to climb down a giant oak tree," Phoenix put his hands on his hips. "That is, unless you used the rope. After shooting the victim, the murderer must have slid down the rope, maybe even swung it towards where the victim was."

"Objection!" Brume said. "That doesn't prove it was Ms. Herring in the tree, nor does it prove it wasn't Ms. Coldstare!"

"Actually, there is evidence that the murderer is someone completely different!" Phoenix said, pounding his desk. He presented the black bag to the court.

"Objection!" Brume said. "That proves nothing about the murderer's identity."

"Exactly my point!" Phoenix said. "There are no fingerprints on this bag, or the rope. Yet the defendant's fingerprints were found all over the murder weapon! And Ms. Herring's fingerprints were found on her boots!"

Brume's headband flew off, and her hair puffy hair resembled a thundercloud. She slapped her hands on her desk, making a sound that resembled a clap of lightning. "Errrgh! Ob-objection! Maybe the defendant was wearing gloves, and then took them off!"

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "Why on Earth would she do that?"

"Well, who is this other person then? There was no evidence of a fourth person in the garden!"

_Finally, this is the moment I've been waiting for. _Phoenix presented Maria's case file.

Brume read the cover. "The Rivales?"

Phoenix took out the pages he needed and rapped them with his other hand. "There was something that had been bothering me. How are all of the people involved in the case connected? The answer is, the Rivales Family."

Phoenix pounded his desk. "The victim was on bad terms with the gang, the witness is affiliated with the Family, and to top it off the defendant is the prosecutor in charge of the Rivales case! With this in mind, one would suspect that the killer was a Rivale member!"

"What?" Brume said, her hair flaring. "That's impossible!"

"It's anything but impossible!" Phoenix said, pounding his desk again.

"Mr. Wright, you have yet to tell us exactly who you think the killer is," Brume retorted. "Tell the court!"

Phoenix swung his head from side to side. "I don't know."

"What?" Brume said, fuming.

"I can't say exactly who the killer is, but there's someone who can," Phoenix said, he then pointed out his index finger. "And she just happens to already be on the witness stand!"

Everyone in the courtroom stared at Scarlet. The courtroom was dead silent. Finally, the judge spoke. "Ms. Herring, is this true?"

"No!" Scarlet said, raking her hair. "I deny everything! I don't know the Rivales!"

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "You admitted to knowing them when I spoke to you in the detention center just yesterday!"

"I-I just said that to get you off my case! That's it! I lied then!" Scarlet said.

"That is not true!" Phoenix said. "There is evidence that undeniably proves that you have associated with the Rivales!"

The judge slammed his gavel. "I declare a 15 minute recess. In that time the prosecution is to prepare the witness to testify about the Rivales Family and settle this matter once and for all."


	25. Chapter 25

Back in the defendant's lobby, Phoenix, Trucy and Maria were waiting for the trial to resume.

"Ms. Coldstare," Phoenix said. "What can you tell me about the Rivales?"

"My file holds just about all the information I have," Maria said. "Let me think for a minute. They were high in a tree, very quick about getting down, used a gun, this sounds like something one of their snipers would do."

"A sniper?" Trucy said.

"A very skilled marksman. They tend to hide and wait for the perfect shot. At least in the movies," Phoenix said.

Maria didn't seem to appreciate the movie remark. "Snipers can be incredibly dangerous. It's quite likely that Ms. Herring fears for her life should she reveal too much."

"Maybe, but we still need to know the truth," Phoenix said. "I know I've asked this before, but do you remember anything about the killer?"

Maria clenched her teeth. "Not much. Everything was obscured in shadows. All I remember is a large coat and a repulsive scent. Probably the mixture of kerosene and blood. Then that scream," Maria concentrated hard. "I think it was… a man."

"A man, huh?" Phoenix rubbed his chin; then started flipping through the Rivale case file. "Thank-you, that's very helpful information. A man…"

"Or a woman that screams like a man," Trucy said, crossing her arms thoughtfully.

"I'll keep that in mind," Phoenix said, still looking at the case file.

Eventually, a court bailiff came into the room. "The trial is about to resume, Mr. Wright."

"Got it," Phoenix said. He looked over at Trucy. "Okay Trucy, I have a plan and I'm going to need your help."

Trucy grinned, standing on her toes. "Then let's get going!"

The trial resumed and Scarlet stood behind the witness stand, looking defeated.

"I take the witness is ready to testify about the Rivales?" the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Brume said, not showing signed of defeat or confidence.

"She seems rather calm about this," Trucy commented to her father.

"Well, there's nothing she can do stop it," Phoenix whispered. "My guess is she's waiting for the right moment to object. If I can't get anywhere with this Rivale theory I'm done for. You have the profiles out, right?"

Trucy nodded her head. "Of course."

"Okay, you're job is to determine fact from fiction, got it?" Phoenix said, smiling encouragingly. "I'll try to get some descriptions from Ms. Herring, and you tell me when we have a match."

"If the defense is finished with their gossip session, perhaps we could have the witness testify?" Brume said, testily.

Phoenix put his hand behind his head and grinned. _I feel like the teacher just caught me talking during class. _"Sorry."

"Witness, testify to the court what you know about the Rivale Family," the judge said.

"Fine," Scarlet said.

Testimony

_The Rivales are gangsters, yes. But I don't know as much about that stuff as you might think._

_The family is kind of branched out. They're all one gang, just bunched together in different places._

_I only know one of these groups. They run a tight ship, I can tell you that._

"That's it?" Phoenix said, exasperated. Sweat dripped down his face. _I could have told you that!_

"It is a bit vague, isn't it?" Trucy said, tapping her chin.

"I just have to press her," Phoenix said.

Cross-Examination

_The Rivales are gangsters, yes. But I don't know as much about that stuff as you might think._

_The family is kind of branched out. They're all one gang, just bunched together in different places._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "So you're saying the Rivale Family is separated into separate units?"

"That's one way of putting it," Scarlet said. "From what I can tell each one is different, they all have their own story."

"Is there any kind of ranking system they use?"

"Not really. It's more about the job you do. Or you're the leader. But remember…"

_I only know one of these groups. They run a tight ship, I can tell you that._

"Hold it!" Phoenix said. "What do you mean by a "tight ship?"

"They like things done on time," Scarlet said. "Plus, they're very organized. Everyone's got a job, you know?"

"What kind of jobs?" Phoenix said.

"Usual gangster, I guess. Dealers, snipers, pointmen, that kind of stuff. And of course, they all work at the L'ubriaco too."

"Tell me more about the snipers."

"You what a sniper does, don't you? There aren't very many though."

"What else do you know about these snipers?"

"Mr. Wright," Brume said. "Let's just cut to the chase. Am I correct to assume that you are accusing one of the Rivale Family snipers of Seth Aflame's murder?"

Phoenix nodded his head. "That is correct."

"Do you have a specific suspect in mind?" Brume said.

"Allow me ask the witness a few more questions and the answer will be clear," Phoenix said, hands on his hips and a confident smile on his face. He glanced at Trucy, who was checking the profiles again.

"Let's see, based on Ms. Coldstare's files I think we have four suspects to weed through. Maybe we should start with looks," Trucy muttered. She turned her eyes back to Scarlet and whispered, "Ask about the shooter's hair color."

"You're wasting your time," Scarlet said, looking at her nails. "I don't know who you're talking about."

"Oh really?' Phoenix said."What if I told you they had dark hair?"

"That means nothing to me," Scarlet said.

"Gotcha," Trucy said softly, with a playful smirk. She took out a profile with a picture of a blonde haired man and made it disappear.

_I hope she can conjure that back. _Phoenix decided a little blind faith was in order and didn't bring it up. "Alright, that's one down. Now what?"

Trucy skimmed the information. "Hmm… ask Ms. Herring if the killer is really fast with shooting, maybe impatient."

"Okay," Phoenix said and turned back to Scarlet. "Would it mean anything if I said they were quick to shoot? Maybe a little impatient?"

"No, it would not," Scarlet said.

"I don't think that was a lie," Trucy said. "But I don't know if that's enough to rule anyone out. Ask about an arrest record."

Phoenix kept his gaze on Scarlet. "Perhaps if I said this person has been arrested before?"

"Again, that means nothing to me," Scarlet said, rolling her eyes.

"She's not lying, but I think she's getting tired of this," Trucy said, making a profile disappear. "Hey Daddy, what's an M.O?"

"Modus operandi," Phoenix said. "Basically a pattern in targets. Like a thief who only steals things worth a lot of money."

"Okay, I have a couple M.O.'s here. Ask if their M.O. is people who scam the Rivales."

"You don't actually have a suspect, do you?" Scarlet taunted.

"The defense has a suspect!" Phoenix bluffed. "The killer is a sniper. And this sniper's M.O. is to target people who have scammed the Rivales, is that correct?"

"I'm getting sick of this. That's not true, alright?"

"That was a lie, except for the first part. But I think she's getting nervous too," Trucy said.

"What have we got left?" Phoenix said to his daughter.

"We're down to two choices, both guys. They're kind of similar," Trucy read further. "Hmm… wait I found something. According to this one of the guys is one of the best snipers in the gang."

"Well, come on. We're all anxious to here this mystery suspect of yours," Scarlet said, playing with her hair.

"You know who he is," Phoenix said. "He's one of the top snipers in the Family, true?"

"That means as much to me as the last part," Scarlet said.

"She's not lying," Trucy said, staring at Scarlet with piercing eyes. "Looks like it was the other guy."

"Hold on, Truce. Think about the wording for a second," Phoenix said. "We were right about the M.O, remember? And if saying the suspect is the top sniper means as much to her as the M.O…"

"Oh," Trucy said, piecing it together. "Then if that's the case…"

Trucy made another profile vanish into thin air and handed the remaining profile to her father. Phoenix read the name on the top.

"Mr. Wright, didn't I say earlier that we should cut to the chase?" Brume said. "Do you have a suspect or not?"

"I have a suspect," Phoenix said. He presented the last profile to the court. "The defense accuses Carson Rivale!"

"You what?" Scarlet said, going pale. She dug her nails in her scalp. "But, but…"

"What is it, Ms. Herring?" Phoenix said. "You seem distressed. Was I right? Is Carson Rivale the true culprit?"

"I-I-I-I-I…" Scarlet pulled her hair. "That-no-I-no no no no no no no!" She pulled harder on the locks of her hair, and they finally broke under the stress. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Just stop!" Scarlet said, breathing heavy. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into! Just stop! I admit it, alright? I was an accomplice to the murder!"

"And who was the murderer?" Phoenix said, trying to get her to say it.

"I-I can't! I mean, I," Scarlet raked her fingers through her hair. "I refuse to testify!" she shrieked.

Phoenix, Brume and the judge recoiled. "You refuse?"

"Yes! I'm done! You can't make me say anymore! I admitted to being an accomplice, that's all I'm saying!" Scarlet said.

"But," Brume said, her head band now somewhere on the floor. "Ms. Herring, are you sure about this? Do you understand the implications that follow your actions?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Scarlet said, still having an episode. "Look, you think this Carson Rivale is the murderer? Then ask him yourself if you want to know so badly! Don't look at me!" Scarlet raked her nails through her hair. Blood trickled down from her scalp, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Bailiff!" said the judge. "Escort the witness off the stand and make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

Scarlet left the stand, and silence filled the courtroom. Eventually, the judge spoke. "While I didn't particularly enjoy her wording, the witness did raise a good point. Perhaps we should have this Carson Rivale testify."

"I agree, Your Honor," Phoenix said.

Brume, headband back in place, said nothing.

"Chief Brume?" the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Brume said. "I will send out a search party immediately. But it won't be easy."

"Understandable," the judge said. "The trial will be extended to another day to find this man. Until then, court is dismissed."

The trial day ended with the resounding slam of the judge's gavel, and everyone left the courtroom.


	26. Chapter 26

Maria entered the dull room with nothing but a security camera and a chair. She sat in the chair and looked through the glass at Miles and Phoenix.

"So, you have a new suspect now," Maria said.

Phoenix nodded. "Yes, I'm confident that we got it right this time."

"But Ms. Herring was unresponsive to everything you said," Maria said, not doubtfully but with curiosity.

"I wouldn't say she was unresponsive," Phoenix said. "But enough about that for now."

"Yes, we were hoping you could tell us more about the Rivales," Miles said. "We need to find Carson Rivale, anything would be helpful."

Maria crossed her arms, lightly beating the book she was holding against her arm. "You have my file, so that can tell you just about everything I could. Carson is one of the most evasive and crafty snipers in the gang, it won't be easy to find him. I would think he'd be somewhere in Rivale "turf" though. There should be a map in there that shows an estimation of what is considered Rivale territory."

Phoenix brought out the file and flipped through it. He showed Maria a map of the area with a section outlined in red ink. "This one?"

"Yes that's it," Maria said. "But it's just an approximation based on where turf wars and gang activity take place."

"I see," Miles said, looking at the map. "That's a lot of ground to cover."

"The Rivale's are very spread out," Maria said. "Are you two really going to go looking for this sniper?"

"In order to find Carson as soon as possible, the defense is cooperating with the police," Phoenix said. "We'll be working with Detective Gumshoe for the most part. Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"I've been thinking about what happened the night of the murder," Maria said. "The scream I heard, I'm sure now that it was a man. And it was the one that choked me. We were very close to the fire, and just as I was blacking out the man screamed and stopped strangling me. I smelled something burning, and blood. I think he was burned by the fire."

"Burned?" Miles said.

"I can't be entirely sure," Maria said, rubbed her arm. "But I think that's what happened. Why else would he stop strangling me all of a sudden? Why not make sure I was unconscious, or dead if that was the goal? And the scream certainly implicates that he was hurt."

"You were both close enough to the fire?" Miles said.

"I believe we were," Maria said.

"I see," Miles said, contemplating what it could mean.

"I'm afraid that's all I know," Maria said.

"This has been incredibly helpful," Phoenix said. "Now we know where to look and we have a lead to follow."

"Are you two really going after Carson?" Maria said.

"What else is there to do?" Phoenix said. "The police are searching too, but if no one finds him this case just becomes a bunch of possibilities and what ifs."

"We'll be working with Detective Gumshoe, hopefully our combined efforts will bring about success," Miles said.

"Just… be careful," Maria said. "Carson is one of the gang's craftiest snipers. And Rivales are known to be grudge holders."

"We'll be plenty careful," Phoenix said. "Thank you, Ms. Coldstare."

Miles and Phoenix walked out the doors of the detention center. Phoenix looked at the map in the case file, while Miles mulled over where Carson could be hiding.

"Where do you want to start?" Miles said.

"Well, Gumshoe said he'd be at the crime scene looking for leads," Phoenix said. "Let's head there."

They got into Miles' car and drove to the scene of the crime. During the drive, Miles asked Phoenix what that file said about Carson.

"There's a surprisingly large amount of information considering this guy's never been caught," Phoenix said. "Let me see; he's one of the Rivale Family's most elite snipers. Apparently he prefers to stay out of sight. He tends to go after people who get on the Family's bad side. You know; don't pay when they're supposed to pay, cheat them out of something, things like that. He's been described as athletic, patient, and sharp."

"Alright, what else?" Miles said, taking in the new information.

"Well, it says here that he's a skilled lock-picker," Phoenix said.

"Really?" Miles said.

"Yeah," Phoenix said.

When they reached the Oak Shade Garden, Miles parked his car and got out with Phoenix. In the parking lot, they saw Detective Gumshoe standing next to a police car.

"Hey, Gumshoe!" Phoenix said, getting the detective's attention as they walked over to him.

"Hey, pal!" Gumshoe said.

"Detective, any luck so far?" Miles said.

"The search hasn't been going on for very long, sir. But we've set out search parties, and we've got a team scouring the crime scene for possible leads. I was just about to check it out myself then join a search party," Gumshoe scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not sure there's anything else to find though. The police have literally been investigating that garden 24/7."

"I see," Miles said.

Gumshoe took out a map and unrolled it on the hood of the police car. It looked just like the map in the case file, only bigger. Gumshoe grabbed the pencil he kept behind his ear and traced a few lines.

"We've got 5 search teams places here, here, here, here, and here," Gumshoe said, separating the Rivale territory into five sections on the map. We assume that he's somewhere in one of these places, but we have no idea where. The L'ubriaco has already been checked, by the way."

Phoenix looked at the map, scratching his chin. "Yeah, that's where I would have looked first."

"You talked to Ms. Coldstare, right pal?" Gumshoe said. "Did she tell you anything?"

"She gave us some information, yes," Phoenix said. "She said she thinks Carson might be burned, but I don't know if that means anything."

Miles stared at the map on the hood of the police car. _There must be some way to figure out where Carson is. Think, Miles!_ He glared at the map in frustration, but it didn't tell him anything new. He closed his eyes, thinking hard about everything he knew about the case. _He's injured, so wherever he is he probably won't leave for a while. But that doesn't help us if we don't know where he is. _

Miles sorted through all the information he had. _Is there something we've overlooked? The investigation doesn't seem to have any leads, but what about the trials? The trials… _An incredibly important fact dawned on Miles. Then piece by piece, everything came together.

"I've got it!" Miles exclaimed, startling Phoenix and Gumshoe.

"What is it?" Phoenix said.

"I know where Carson is," Miles said, feeling quite sure he had it right.

"Really, sir?" Gumshoe said, getting excited. "Alright, get into my car I'll drive us there right away, sir!"

Miles tapped his forehead. "That won't be necessary, Detective."

"Just where is he, Edgeworth?" Phoenix said.

"It's been staring us in the face this whole time," Miles said. "From the first day of the trial. The witness who reported the crime said he didn't see anyone come in or out of the garden."

"You're right," Phoenix said, realization evident in his facial expression.

"The killer was burned, he couldn't leave the garden without someone noticing him," Miles said. "Furthermore, that trail of kerosene Missile found finally makes sense."

"We already knew how the trail made sense," Phoenix said. "When the killer climbed down the tree with the rope, he burned it with kerosene."

"Not that one, the one leading to the shed," Miles said. "Yes, there was a kerosene lantern on the shed's roof, but I was confused as to how that could create a scent trail. In actuality, the trail must have been created when Carson fled the scene after being burned. There is an herb garden close to the shed with an aloe plant growing. Aloe is a medicinal herb used for treating burns. After grabbing some of the aloe, he must have hid in the garden shed. He is skilled in lock-picking; it's not hard to imagine he could get inside without a key."

"That makes sense!" Phoenix said. "But wait; what if he's not there anymore?"

"That's not possible. The police have been investigating the garden non-stop and they didn't see anyone," Miles said. "Besides, Carson wouldn't want to risk being discovered."

"That's right," Phoenix said. "Let's go!"

Miles, Phoenix and Gumshoe entered the garden and paced over to the shed. Miles grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, but the door didn't open.

"Hmm, it's locked," Miles said.

Phoenix took a few steps backwards. "I can break it down."

Just as the hot-blooded defense attorney started for the door, Gumshoe stopped him. "Whoa, whoa, take it easy, pal."

The detective reached into his coat pocket and a faint jingling sound could be heard. "I have the key you know."

"Of course you do," Miles said stoically. He was not about to admit that the thought had never occurred to him. Nor the fact that he been on board with Phoenix breaking the door down. "You are the detective in charge of the investigation, after all."

Gumshoe took out a small key and unlocked the door. The detective opened it and stepped inside, followed by Miles and Phoenix.

"There's no one in here," Phoenix said, disappointed.

Miles gazed around the shed; he would not be satisfied until he had fully examined every possibility. The shed was dull and dusty. On the walls were various gardening tools, and crates and sacks were scattered across the floor. _Was I wrong? There doesn't seem to be anywhere to hide. I was sure I had it. I must look at this from every angle. Hmm… every angle…_

Miles looked up at the ceiling. Above him was a horizontal grid of wooden beams. A few areas were covered with a tarp. Miles smirked. "I'll be right back."

The prosecutor walked out of the shed and came back moments later with a ladder. He positioned the ladder to be supported by one of the beams and climbed up. When he reached the top, his eyes were immediately drawn to the figure lying on the tarp. He wore a large coat, but he seemed to have a slim, tones frame. His leg was badly burned. The man looked to be around thirty, with dark hair and a sun kissed complexion.

Shock and recognition coursed through the stunned prosecutor. "Xavier?"

The man panicked and flung himself off the tarp, audibly wincing in pain when he landed. He quickly stood up and scrambled to the door. "Move, get out of the way!"

He ran into Gumshoe, who had been standing in front of the door. The detective looked at the man, who had fallen to the ground. "Do I look that stupid, pal?"

Miles got down from the ladder as Gumshoe helped the man up and kept a hold of him, despite the man's protests.

"You don't understand! Let me go!"

"Come on, pal. We just want to ask you a few questions," Gumshoe said and brought him over to a couple police officers that had come over to the shed.

Phoenix glanced at the Carson Rivale's profile and smiled. "Yep, we definitely got him."

Miles, Phoenix and Gumshoe watched as Carson was escorted away to be questioned. Miles triumphantly crossed his arms and smirked. "I knew it."

"Yes, we know. Good job, Edgeworth," Phoenix said.

"Oh, not that. I saw him at the Prosecutors Building a few days ago. I knew something was off about him the minute I saw him talking to Maria," Miles said.

Phoenix and Gumshoe glanced at each other, knowing smiles on their faces.

"What?" Miles said.

The detective and the defense attorney suddenly found something incredibly interesting in the sky. In unison, they said, "Nothing."


	27. Chapter 27

Trucy walked into the defendant's lobby and found her father alone pacing the floor. "Hey Daddy, where's Ms. Coldstare?"

Phoenix looked up at his daughter, clad in her usual cape and hat. "I don't know, but we need to get to the courtroom in 20 minutes. Say, did you look through that email I sent you?"

"The one about the court record? Sure did!" Trucy said as cheerful as ever. "And I printed everything out just like you asked."

"Alright, thanks Truce," Phoenix said, smiling. "Looks like we're all set for the trial. All we need is the defendant."

Trucy handed her father a short stack of papers, then sat on the couch and practiced making cards disappear and reappear. Phoenix, meanwhile, skimmed over the evidence. At some point, he heard the door open and looked up to greet Ms. Coldstare. However, she wasn't there. Chief Prosecutor Brume stepped in the room and approached Phoenix, her expression neutral and business-like.

"Oh, Chief Brume," Phoenix said, surprised.

"Mr. Wright, I came to inform you that your client will not be coming. She is with the judge in his chambers," Brume said.

"So that's where Ms. Coldstare is. Alright, thanks for telling me," Phoenix said.

Brume nods her head. "You made quite a bold accusation the other day, Mr. Wright. Most people wouldn't take requesting testimony from a gangster so lightly."

"You seem pretty calm about it," Phoenix said, casually.

"Don't think you've won, Mr. Wright," Brume stated matter-of-factly. "Mr. Rivale hasn't confessed to anything."

Trucy made a Five of Clubs disappear and stood up. "Ms. Brume, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Brume said.

"How can you rely on the testimony of a criminal right now?" Trucy said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're Ms. Coldstare's boss; shouldn't you be looking out for her instead of trusting a sniper?"

Brume looked at her feet, then back at Trucy. "You think I want to believe Ms. Coldstare is a murderer? I always thought she was a good prosecutor. But good prosecutors have done bad things before, including murder. What if that's the case in this instance? I don't want Ms. Coldstare to be a murderer, but if she is one I certainly won't have her walking around freely in the Prosecutors Building."

Brume brushed a strand of hair from her face. "And in this trial, Carson Rivale is but a witness unless proven otherwise. Since he was finally captured, he will be tried for his crimes. In the meantime, he is to prove Ms. Coldstare's guilt."

Trucy looked up and down at the chief prosecutor; then relaxed. "Okay, I think I get it. But we're still going to prove Ms. Coldstare is innocent."

Brume nodded, and left.

Phoenix turned to his daughter, who was watching the door Brume had walked out of. "Hey Truce, what made you ask her those questions?"

"I wanted to know," Trucy said. "I think I understand now, she has a whole building full of prosecutors to watch over. She can't risk endangering them because of one person."

The defense attorney smiled and placed a hand on Trucy's shoulder. "You're very mature sometimes, that's good."

"Still, we need to take her down," Trucy said, smiling playfully.

The gallery grew silent when everyone heard the judge bang his gavel. "Court is now in session. Were the police successful in tracking down Carson Rivale?"

"Yes, Your Honor. He is here and ready to testify," Brume said.

"Excellent, let's bring him in," the judge said.

Escorted by a bailiff, Carson Rivale walked over to the witness stand. The silence grew more absolute as everyone stared at his bandaged leg. Carson limped slightly as he moved, but he hid it well.

"Name and occupation? For the sake of formalities," Brume said once Carson reached the stand.

Carson stood straight up, confident and composed. "My name is Carson Rivale. I study botany, but I think everyone knows me better as a member of the Rivale Family gang."

"Indeed," the judge said, staring wide-eyed at the sniper behind the witness stand.

"I think the judge is a little nervous," Trucy whispered to her father.

"This is one of the city's most dangerous snipers," Phoenix replied. "Which means I'll have to be careful too."

"You can do it, Daddy," Trucy said.

"Mr. Rivale," Brume said. "During the previous trial day, the defense accused you of murder. Furthermore, you were found in the shed of the Oak Shade Garden with a burned leg. I believe the court would like to know what happened."

"Alright, I'll explain," Carson said.

Testimony

_I was in the garden when I dropped my lantern from the L'ubriaco and the fuel spilled on me._

_I was in pain, and I started panicking. Then I heard a gunshot and nearly had a breakdown._

_I didn't want anyone to see me, so I took some aloe from the garden and ran._

_I know how to pick locks fast, so I was able to hide in the shed really quickly._

_After that, I realized the first person to enter the shed and see me would probably call the cops._

_So I hid myself, then my injury prevented me from leaving._

"So you're saying you burned yourself and then hid in the shed while you healed?" the judge said. Phoenix couldn't tell if he bought it or not.

"Yes, I claim to have nothing to do with this murder. I was just at the garden," Carson said, smirking charismatically.

"This is the story he came up with?" Phoenix said softly to his daughter.

Trucy was staring hard at Carson, hands curled into fists. "I'm having trouble picking up on any nervous habits. I doubt he's telling the truth, but everywhere I look he's anything but nervous."

"Don't worry about it," Phoenix said. "This one's actually pretty easy."

"Mr. Wright, your cross-examination?" the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Phoenix said.

Cross-Examination

_I was in the garden when I dropped my lantern from the L'ubriaco and the fuel spilled on me._

"Objection!" Phoenix said and presented the lantern. "You mean this one?"

"I think so," Carson said.

"Interesting, because this lantern was found on the roof! Not in the garden where you say you dropped it! This testimony was a lie from the start!" Phoenix exclaimed, pointing his finger.

"Objection!" Brume said. "It's possible that Ms. Herring took the lantern to the roof!"

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "But we already know Ms. Herring wasn't wearing gloves, and there were no fingerprints on the lantern!"

"Objection!" Brume said. "Need I remind you that any prints were wiped off?"

Phoenix sagged, sweating bullets. "Right."

The defense attorney quickly recovered himself and decided to change tactics. "Mr. Rivale, just why were you in the garden that night to begin with?"

"The answer is very simple," Carson said, not in the least unnerved by Phoenix's earlier objection.

_I often visit the garden at night for my botany studies. Like I said, I have nothing to do with this murder._

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "I can prove you are involved with this murder!"

"Objection!" Brume said. "That case file you keep bringing out is not enough evidence to accuse Mr. Rivale of murder!"

Phoenix swung his head from side to side. "That's not what I was going to use to present."

Phoenix took out the letter that was found in Maria's office. He flicked the back of his hand against the paper. "This was discovered in the defendant's office during an investigation. It requests the defendant meet someone at the Oak Shade Garden at 10:30 PM, the night of the murder."

"It does?" Brume said, shocked.

Phoenix nodded his head, and then smugly put his hand on his hips. "That's not all. The day before the murder, when this letter was delivered by the witness himself!"

"Wait a minute!" Carson said. "I did no such thing!"

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "There was a man who reported seeing you talk to the defendant in the Prosecutors Building that day! And the letter was found in front of the defendant's office right after you left! I think it's pretty clear what happened!"

"No!" Carson exclaimed. He paled and his bangs flared out, revealing a scar on his forehead. It flashed red; then he recomposed himself. "That doesn't mean anything."

"Yes it does!" Phoenix said, slamming his desk with his palms. "This letter is the reason the defendant went to the garden that night, and you were the one to give it to her! How can you deny any relation to the crime?"

Carson put his fingers on his forehead, thinking. Trucy nudged her father and whispered. "Daddy, I don't think this good. I saw a flicker of a smile."

Phoenix felt a cold sweat rising, but he kept himself together. He gave Trucy a quick nod and focused on the sniper.

Carson looked up and sighed. "Alright, you got me."

Phoenix said nothing, for he knew there was more to it.

"I'll be going to jail anyway, so I might as well admit it," Carson said. "I was an accomplice to the murder."

"Accomplice?" Phoenix said. He was surprised, but he didn't believe it either. He slammed his desk. "Well then who did murder the victim, huh?"

"The woman sitting in the defendant's chair," Carson said.

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "Are you saying Ms. Coldstare was working with the Rivales? But she's been prosecuting against them!"

"And yet, I was never caught. Along with many others," Carson said.

"What is he doing?" Trucy said. "Why would he say he's an accomplice? That doesn't help him."

"It's not about saving his skin anymore," Phoenix muttered, disgruntled. "No matter how this trial turns out, he's going to prison. So he's going to drag Ms. Coldstare's name through as much mud as possible. It's a matter of pride now."

"That letter was a message to tell Coldstare where and when we were going to execute the plan," Carson continued.

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "The contents of the letter suggests otherwise!"

"It's not supposed it be obvious," Carson said. "What if someone found it? Like you did."

Phoenix was grasping at straws now. "Well, what about the black bag found in the tree? It didn't have any fingerprints, and no gloves were found on Ms. Coldstare or at the scene."

"Objection!" Brume said. "There a large fire well-suited for destroying evidence!"

Phoenix couldn't fight it any longer. His shoulders sagged and he broke into a cold sweat. He confided to Trucy. "This isn't working. No matter what I say, they have some argument against it."

"You know, I can prove that there's a hidden message," Carson said. "Can I see that letter for a moment?"

The judge looked down and closed his eyes, thinking it over. "I suppose there's nothing dangerous in giving him the letter."

One of the court bailiff's came over to the defense bench, and Trucy handed over the letter. The bailiff went over to the witness stand and Carson took the letter. He unfolded the paper, touched the back, and like a sticker, another page peeled off. He showed it to the court.

You will find a rope and a black bag at the base of the oak tree at the Oak Shade Garden. You know what to do.

Phoenix's mouth hung open in shock. Brume looked stunned as well; apparently Carson hadn't told her about this.

"Objection!"

**_Who was the one the objected? It's not who you think. Read and review!_**


	28. Chapter 28

Phoenix looked around the courtroom when he heard the objection. His eyes fell on Trucy, who was pointing her finger at Carson. The defense attorney felt a mixture of shock and fatherly pride at the sight.

"Carson Rivale!" Trucy said. "You can't fool a magician with parlor tricks! I saw that sleight of hand; you stuck that extra page on just before peeling it off!"

"You can't prove that, kid!" Carson said, with a flash of annoyance.

Trucy smirked. "Not true. The thing with magic tricks is that you know something your audience doesn't. But when someone else knows the secret, the illusion quickly falls apart at the seams."

"But I just showed you the trick to the letter," Carson said.

An envelope appeared in Trucy's hand. "You mean this letter? Because the one you're holding is just a copy I printed out for the trial."

"You did what?" Brume said, stunned. Her headband flew off, freeing her wild hair.

"How can we be sure you're telling the truth?" Carson said defensively. "What's there to prove that the letter in your hand is the real one?"

Trucy gave the spotlight back to her father, who smiled his appreciation. He pounded his desk and looked Carson in the eye. "That's easy to prove. The copy was printed out, while the real letter was hand-written!"

Carson's bangs flared out, and his scar pulsated. The beating red was quite a contrast with his nervous, paling skin. "No!"

"Obviously, the "hidden message" was just a farce," Phoenix said. "I ask the court, why would Mr. Rivale forge such evidence? What other reason than to frame Ms. Coldstare for a murder she did not commit?"

Brume recoiled. "You say the defendant was framed?"

"From the very beginning, Ms. Coldstare was intended to take the fall for Seth Aflame's murder," Phoenix said. "The day before the murder, Carson Rivale went to the Prosecutors Building and dropped off a letter requesting Ms. Coldstare meet someone at the Oak Shade Garden. Then that fateful night, the killer hid in a giant oak tree and waited for the defendant and the victim to arrive. When the moment finally came, he shot Mr. Aflame in the back!"

Carson opened his mouth to speak, but Phoenix continued. "He then descended to the ground, pouring kerosene on the rope he used and burned it to destroy the evidence. He then proceeded to do the same with the victim. Once the deed was done, the murderer strangled Ms. Coldstare to keep her from leaving the scene of the crime. The defendant had been standing very close to the fire, and while the killer was choking Ms. Coldstare he was burned by the flames. Releasing the barely breathing woman, the killer fled the scene."

Phoenix slammed his desk. "Since we know that nobody left the garden, determining who the murderer was can be done by process of elimination. It wasn't Scarlet Herring, who was in the wrong location. And it wasn't Maria Coldstare, who was framed. That leaves only one other person that was in the garden the night of the murder."

Phoenix pointed his finger at the sniper behind the witness stand. "Carson Rivale!"

Carson wrapped his arms over his chest, trembling. "You… No! I-I-That's not what happened!"

"Why else would you want to trick the court into thinking there was a secret message in the letter you gave Ms. Coldstare?" Phoenix said, accusingly.

Carson put his hand on his forehead, wincing. His voice was shaky. "After this trial… I'm going back to jail. But if I'm going down…"

Something inside Carson snapped. "Then I'm taking her down with me!"

Phoenix pressed forward. "It's obvious the defendant is innocent, Mr. Rivale. Don't bother trying to weasel your way out of this. Your failed attempt to frame her was what drove the final nail in your coffin!"

Still shaking, Carson put his elbows on the witness stand. He pressed harder against his forehead. "No, she, I mean…" Carson froze, applying more pressure to his forehead. He straightened himself, his hand never moving from where it was. Suddenly; he pulled away from his forehead and he erupted, his dark hair blowing away from his face to reveal his bright red scar. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"That Coldstare, she started dealing blows to the Family! Multiple Rivales, family members, they were arrested because of her!" Carson yelled, resembling a cornered rabbit. "Then Seth… he was taking money from us! After weeks of waiting, we knew he was never going pay back! He burned us, so we needed to burn him. Then we saw a way to hit two birds with one stone! It almost seemed too easy!"

Carson breathed heavily, his eyes wide and panicky. "It didn't matter which one I hit, if I shot the prosecutor instead that dirty traitor would take the fall and we'd still get our revenge in the end!"

Carson put his hand over his scar, he started to wobble and pant. "Yeah, that's right. I did it. I killed him… and I framed her. Maybe I got caught… but Coldstare still went to prison, even if only for a little while. I hope… I hope you… suffered," Carson was unconscious before he hit the floor.

The courtroom fell silent, everyone staring at the sniper who had passed out from too much excitement.

"And that, as they say, is that," Phoenix whispered.

A bailiff and a nurse came and took Carson away. Maria stood behind the witness stand, where she would receive her final verdict.

"It would seem that you really were innocent all along, Ms. Coldstare," the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Maria said, standing tall, prim and proper. Her book rested on her crossed arms in front of her chest.

"So then the defense was correct about everything that happened that night?" the judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honor," Maria said.

The judge put his head down. "You've been through quite a lot these past few days, if that's the case."

"I suppose it wasn't pleasant, Your Honor," Maria said.

"Indeed," the judge said. "Given all that has been revealed today, it is inconceivable to think you are the murderer. So, this court finds the defendant…"

"Not guilty," the judge slammed his gavel on his podium, bringing a resounding conclusion to the trial.

The trial finished, Phoenix, Trucy and Maria stood in the defendant's lobby.

"Thank you for your defense, Mr. Wright," Maria said.

"It was my pleasure," Phoenix said.

"I helped too," Trucy said, smiling proudly.

"Yes you did, thank you," Maria said, with a small smile of her own.

"So are you okay?" Phoenix said.

"What do you mean?" Maria said.

Phoenix put his hand behind his back sheepishly. "Well, I just figured some of those things Carson said might have stung. I mean, he basically said he might have murdered you instead of the victim. Which I'm sorry to hear about, by the way."

Maria tapped her book on her arm. "You have nothing to apologize for Mr. Wright."

"Still," Phoenix said. "Well, at least we got him."

"How did you find him? During the trial I gathered that Carson was hiding in the garden shed, but how did you come to that conclusion?" Maria inquired.

"Actually, you can thank Edgeworth for that," Phoenix said. "He was the one to find Carson."

"Edgeworth?" Maria said, betraying her curiosity.

Phoenix smiled. "Yeah, he figured out where Carson was hiding. Then Edgeworth went and found the guy on the ceiling of all places."

"The ceiling?" Maria said.

Phoenix recounted how they had found the sniper, along with some of the other deductions Miles had made.

"He did all that?" Maria said.

"Yeah, Edgeworth really helped with the investigation. And the whole time, I don't think he doubted you for a minute," Phoenix said.

Maria looked down at her book and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Really?"

Phoenix nodded his head. "Definitely. If it weren't for Edgeworth I might never have found out as much as I did about the case. I seriously owe him. You should thank him too."

As if on cue, Miles walked into the room.

"Hey Edgeworth," Phoenix said.

"Hello Wright," Miles said. "I just wanted to say congratulations."

"Thanks," Phoenix said, smiling.

Miles turned to Maria. "Congratulations to you as well. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Maria said, standing tall and straight.

Ever so slightly, Miles tilted his head. "That's nice."

Trucy and Phoenix glanced at the two prosecutors engaged in an incredibly reserved conversation, then at each other.

"Hey I know!" Trucy said, grinning. "I'm going to get some victory drinks from the vending machine. Anyone else want something?"

"You know, I could really use drink if you don't mind," Phoenix said, then looked at Miles and Maria. "What about you guys?"

"No thanks," Miles said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Me neither, I'm fine," Maria said.

"Alright, if you're sure," Trucy said. She sped out of the room.

"Oh wait," Phoenix said, after Trucy had left. "Trucy's got about 12 cents in her pocket. Not to mention she gets lost really easily in the courthouse. If I want a drink anytime soon I'd better go find her. I'll be back."

Phoenix exited the room and went after his daughter, leaving Miles and Maria alone in the defendant's lobby. Miles tried to think of something to break the silence, but didn't have much luck. _Why is this so difficult?_

"So," Maria said, not making eye contact. "Mr. Wright said you helped him investigate."

"Well, when I heard you had been arrested, I couldn't just ignore it," Miles said. His head was tilted and his nervous smile was back. "You've been through a lot these past few days."

"I'm fine," Maria said.

"Of course," Miles said. "The truth will always come to light in the end, and you would never kill a person."

Maria's tall, collected stance faltered for a brief moment. "Indeed."

"Well, I'm just glad you're alright," Miles said, his grey eyes softer than they had been in years.

Maria pressed her book against her chest. "Mr. Wright told me about everything, about how much you helped," She put her head down. "Thank-you."

Miles heard the bleakness in her voice.

"Thank you so much," Maria said. Her shoulders shook and a tear hit the floor.

Miles didn't really know how to respond. "It's okay."

"I know that!" Maria snapped, and that was the final straw. No longer able to keep it in, Maria cried.

Mile tried to think of what to do, but Maria decided for him. Arms still wrapped around her book, she rushed forward and wept on his shoulder. Miles took a step back and spread his arms out, for the surprise had made him unbalanced. He just stared as Maria wept, unsure of what to do.

_Should I say something? _Miles racked his brain for something that wouldn't sound forced, but nothing came. He tried to understand what was going through Maria's mind at the moment. She didn't want to be told it was okay, as Miles had already discovered. _She already knew it was okay. She knows it's all over now. She knows she's safe. She just needs to cry anyway._

Slowly, Miles moved his arms and gingerly wrapped them around Maria. He felt the warmth of her bittersweet tears seeping through his jacket from behind her glasses. He was disheartened to see her cry, yet as Maria dug her face into his shoulder an odd pleasure coursed through Miles. He held her close and let her sobs be muffled by his shoulder. Eventually, Maria's weeping became quieter until the room was completely silent once again. Only this silence was different.

Miles didn't dare move. He couldn't tell if Maria was crying anymore. While he didn't hear anything he still felt her warm, fresh tears. Since she wasn't pulling away, Miles stayed exactly where he was; not wanting to disturb her. As Miles appreciated the warmth of their gentle embrace, it suddenly dawned on him that he could stay like this forever. Miles looked at Maria, pondering his emotions. He thought about it for a couple minutes before the answer came to him. _Maybe I do like her._

Miles remembered a conversation he had with Phoenix outside the detention center and smiled to himself. _I hate it when he's right._

His self-discovery now brought him a series of new questions. _Does she like me back? Should I tell her?_ Miles stopped himself and decided to just enjoy the moment in peace. _Maria's been through enough for one day._

So Miles and Maria stayed as they were. There was nothing to say, so the silence was calm. It didn't last forever though. The door started to open and the prosecutors both instinctively pushed away just as Trucy Wright cheerfully stepped into the room. She was soon followed by Phoenix and Detective Gumshoe.

"Hey, I just wanted to stop by and say congratulations Ms. Coldstare," Gumshoe said.

"Oh, thank you Detective," Maria said, not making eye contact.

Phoenix walked over with two water bottles in his hands and held them out. "I could tell you were both thirsty."

They both thanked the defense attorney and took a sip, welcoming the distraction.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Trucy said, obviously excited by her idea. "I have my camera with me, let's take a group photo!"

"Sure, why not?" Phoenix said.

The young magician took a digital camera out of her heart-shaped bag along with a tripod. She became setting it up on a table.

"I'll take the picture for you," Miles offered.

"Nice try, Mr. Edgeworth," Trucy said. "This camera has a timer on it."

"Oh," Miles said, rubbing his arm and looking away. _Dang it!_

Maria didn't look too comfortable with getting her picture taken either. "You don't have to, really it's fine."

"Don't be camera shy," Trucy said and fiddled with the timer on her camera. "Alright, we got 10 seconds."

Trucy rushed over to where everyone was standing and wrapped her arms around Miles and Maria's shoulders. Caught off guard, they both bent down to Trucy's height. Maria even dropped her book. Before the prosecutors could correct themselves, the camera flashed and snapped a photo.

In the photo, Phoenix, Maria, Trucy, Miles and Gumshoe stood together in that order from left to right. Phoenix, Trucy and Gumshoe actually looked pretty decent. Miles and Maria, on the other hand, were much more awkward. Due to Trucy's height, or rather lack thereof, they were bent over and flustered. They were not looking at the camera, but at each other. Blushing.

**_And that brings us to the conclusion of Turnabout Sparks… Part One. I shall be continuing to write the adventures of Miles and Maria, but for now the story ends here. I want to thank everyone who read this story (nearly 4,000 views!), if it weren't for you guys Turnabout Sparks might not have turned out the way it did. All of your reviews were so kind and appreciated. I took every one to heart. And for the record, the new cover page is that photo described in the last paragraph. I drew it myself. J_**

**_Thank you so much for reading this to the end, and if you don't mind… Read and Review!_**


	29. Alert

**_Okay, it's been a while since I've touched this huh? First, I would like to say that Turnabout Sparks has made it to 6,000 views and 50 reviews since Chapter 28. Thank you everyone! You're all awesome._**

**_So now I have some explaining to do right? You might have noticed this chapter is nothing but an author's note. Well, here's what happened for anyone who cares. If you don't you can just skip to the bottom. _**

**_So anyway, like I said in my last note, Part One is over. But I wasn't sure if I'd publish Part Two on the same document or not so I didn't touch the Complete button. By the time I realized this document would get ridiculously long if I put everything on one piece, a bunch of people had started following Turnabout Sparks and it seemed like a tease to say it was complete so long after publishing. So then I decided to add an alert once I publish Part Two. That's my 'logic'._**

**_Once again I'd like to thank you for reading this far, whether it was because you followed Turnabout Sparks, me, or just reached the end. Part Two is titled 'Exorcising the Demon Prosecutor', and is out there right now for you to read. Hope you like it!_**


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